Only days before what could be the team’s biggest game of the year, the Chicago Bears are sparking controversy by telling fans they may be considering a move to Northwest Indiana.
“The stakes for Illinois are significant: thousands of union jobs, year-round attractions and global events made possible by a fixed roof stadium that would provide long-term revenue for the State,” President and CEO Kevin Williams said in an open letter to fans.
“We have been told directly by State leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026, despite the benefits it will bring to Illinois,” Warren added.
Warren said the team is expanding its search for a new home beyond the Arlington Heights property it has already acquired and is currently on the lookout for locations in the Hoosier State.
In a statement Wednesday, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker called the announcement “a startling slap in the face” to loyal fans. He restated his opposition to using state money for the construction of the stadium.
“The bottom line for any private business development should not come at the full expense of taxpayers,” Pritzker said.
The Bears have said they will not seek public financing of the stadium itself, but rather for assistance in infrastructure improvements around the site in Arlington Heights, including new roads, utility construction and public transit.
Pritzker and other state officials have said they are willing to negotiate those bills, along with possibilities of locking in property tax rates for the Bears and other large-scale projects in the state.
There is still opposition to extensive subsidies for the construction. Illinois State Representative Kam Buckner (D-IL), whose district includes Soldier Field, said he doesn’t disagree with the Bears assessment that “public dollars for a new stadium has not been a legislative priority.”
At the same time, Indiana’s Governor Mike Braun took to social media to say he is ready to work with them to build a new stadium in Northwest Indiana.
Sports Consultant Marc Ganis says Northwest Indiana has a new stadium authority created to entice a professional sports franchise like the Bears. “
Northwest Indiana is a far better option than some of the arrogant legislators in Springfield might want to believe,” he said.
The Bears have said they plan to invest more than $2 billion in private funds in the Arlington Heights Stadium Project. What they want from the state is $855 million in public funding for infrastructure around the stadium and what they call “property tax certainty.”
A bill governing megaprojects like new stadiums never gained traction during the fall veto session.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is still holding out distant hope the team, which owns the land it planned to build on in Arlington Heights, will take another look at Chicago.
“The Bears belong in the city of Chicago,” he said at a Thursday news conference. “I have said the door is always open to conversations.”
But Ganis said the best bet for Illinois is to jumpstart talks between the team and legislators.
“In the totality of a deal, you figure a way to work that out,” he said.
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