Pro Football Rumors
The Bears have been on the search for a new home after playing 54 of the past 55 years in the NFL’s oldest stadium. Earlier this year, they announced Arlington Heights as their target location for the new facility. Today, Bears president & chief executive officer Kevin Warren published an open letter to the public and mentioned a new potential destination sure to grab headlines: Northwest Indiana.
According to Warren, Arlington Heights, a suburb just northwest of Chicago, would be the only viable site in Cook County, based on all of the requirements needed to host an NFL stadium. Unlike with many other stadium deals in the league, the Bears were not asking taxpayers to foot any portion of the bill, offering to invest over $2BB for the stadium and asking only in return that local and State officials commit to the development of “essential local infrastructure (roads, utilities, and site improvements),” which they considered a typical and reasonable ask.
While the team has not been rejected in their plans and proposals, according to Warren, they “have been told directly by State leadership” that the Arlington Heights move will not be a priority in 2026. In his letter, Warren comments that “for a project of this scale, uncertainty has significant consequences,” and the consequences of reticence on behalf of the State of Illinois appear to be a threat to move elsewhere.
Boasting about all the potential perks of a local NFL stadium — significant growth of unionized jobs, year-round attractions and events, increased local business revenue as a result of increased traffic — Warren has suggested that the team may move towards other options, should Illinois continue to dismiss them. Due to the lack of commitment, Warren says the franchise will expand its search to more seriously evaluate other “opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana.”
It’s a bold move from Warren but one that he clearly felt was necessary in order to get some movement in plans for a new deal. If State leadership in Illinois doesn’t respond well to Warren’s veiled threat, there’s apparently a possibility that, akin to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, we could just see the Chicago Bears of Gary, Indiana.
