Chicago Bears sticking to stadium
timeline amid uncertainty with Illinois incentives
[June 02, 2026]
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears are sticking with their current
timeline for selecting a site for a new stadium amid an uncertain
future for a proposal in the Illinois state legislature that would
provide incentives for the NFL team to build its new home in the
state.
The Illinois Senate passed a bill early Monday morning that would
have cleared the way for Arlington Heights and Chicago to create
local stadium authorities, creating a pathway for the Bears to avoid
paying property taxes on a new stadium in Illinois. But the House
adjourned without taking up the measure on the last day of the
state's spring legislative session.
The Bears said they are finalizing their evaluation of possible
stadium sites in Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana, and they
“remain on the late spring/early summer timeline.”
"We will provide an update when we have a decision to share,” the
team said in its statement.
State Rep. Kam Buckner, whose district includes parts of Chicago,
posted on social media that the modified bill approved by the Senate
did not have enough support in the House.
“I remain optimistic,” Buckner wrote on X. “We all share the same
goal: finding a solution that works for the Bears, works for
taxpayers, and earns the confidence of the General Assembly. This
morning was the end of session. It was not the end of the
conversation.”
The Bears' lease for Soldier Field runs through 2033, but the team
can pay a fee to break the lease early.
The twists and turns during the final days of Illinois' spring
legislative session were consistent with what has been a laborious
stadium process for the Bears, a charter NFL franchise.
The team announced in September 2021 that they had signed a purchase
agreement for 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights, about 30 miles
northwest of Chicago. The $197 million deal with Churchill Downs
Incorporated was finalized in 2023.
In September 2022, the team unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for
Arlington Heights that called for an enclosed stadium that could
host Super Bowls and Final Fours. The conceptual illustrations also
provided for a year-round entertainment district with restaurants
and shopping.
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Soldier Field is seen prior to an NFL football game between the
Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, Dec. 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP
Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski, file)
But the Bears shifted their focus toward building a
new stadium next to Soldier Field after Kevin Warren was hired as
team president in January 2023, replacing the retiring Ted Phillips.
The plan to transform Chicago’s Museum Campus got an enthusiastic
endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson and a tepid reception from
Gov. JB Pritzker and state legislators when it was announced in
April 2024.
The team switched gears again in May 2025,
announcing it had made “significant progress” with local leaders in
Arlington Heights.
Amid lingering efforts to secure tax incentives in Illinois, along
with as much as $855 million in public money for infrastructure at
the Arlington Heights site, the Bears began to take a closer look at
possible options in Northwest Indiana.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and state lawmakers jumped on the Bears'
interest. A state House of Representatives committee passed a bill
in February that established a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority
to finance, construct and lease a stadium. The team said it was
doing its due diligence on a tract of land near Wolf Lake in
Hammond, Indiana.
The Bears said on May 21 that Hammond and Arlington Heights were the
only sites under consideration, but some Illinois state lawmakers
kept pushing for a plan that they hoped would make Chicago part of
the conversation once again.
The Bears have played in Illinois since the team’s founding in 1920
as the Decatur Staleys. Since moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears
have never owned their stadium, whether playing at Wrigley Field
from 1921 to 1970 or Soldier Field since.
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