HAMMOND, INDIANA — The Chicago Bears Board of Directors voted in June 2026 to advance a stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana. The team confirmed that a specific site in Hammond has not yet been selected for the stadium.
Bears Chairman George H. McCaskey and President and CEO Kevin Warren issued a joint statement regarding the decision. "We believe a stadium project in Hammond will connect Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city. It will bring the region together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses," McCaskey and Warren said. The Bears conducted due diligence on a tract of land near Wolf Lake in the Hammond area. Hammond is located approximately 20 to 25 miles south of the Bears' current stadium, Soldier Field.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun welcomed the Bears' announcement. "We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the 1985 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our state and the Bears organization for decades to come. An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will generate regional economic activity," Braun said. An Indiana House committee passed legislation in February 2026 creating a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct, and lease a stadium.
Matt Hill, spokesperson for Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, stated that Pritzker remains open to a stadium proposal that prioritizes protecting taxpayers. "The Bears established a long history in Illinois but have shifted their position on a stadium location over the last six years and recently. That shift has delayed their progress. This announcement reflects that pattern following negotiations with Illinois leaders," Hill said. A spokesperson for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stated that city officials will continue stadium discussions until a final site is chosen and construction begins.
Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch stated that the Indiana stadium proposal includes raising state taxes and allocating approximately $1 billion in public funding for the project, and that the Illinois Legislature passed an economic development package in April following negotiations with the Bears. Illinois State Senator Bill Cunningham introduced legislation allowing Cook County municipalities with populations over 70,000 to establish stadium authorities to finance construction and lease facilities while reducing property taxes. The Illinois Senate passed the stadium authority bill, but the state House of Representatives adjourned without voting on it.
The franchise was founded as the Decatur Staleys in 1920, relocated to Chicago in 1921, and began playing at Soldier Field in 1971. The Bears purchased a 326-acre property in Arlington Heights, Illinois, for $197 million in 2021 and completed the transaction in 2023. In September 2025, Warren stated that the team intended to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The Bears' lease at Soldier Field runs through 2033, and the franchise holds an option to terminate it early by paying a fee.