As the Chicago Bears report to minicamp ahead of the NFL preseason, the team is supposedly advancing plans to construct a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana, a city in northwest Indiana adjacent to the south side of Chicago. For the moment, Indiana has seemingly won Chicago’s never-ending drama. But whether a new stadium in Indiana will be the end solution is still far from settled.
The Chicago Bears’ new plans
Amidst state legislation efforts to keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois, the team’s board of directors voted on June 5 to continue moving forward with plans for a stadium development project in Hammond, IN. The Bears have played at Soldier Field in Chicago since 1971, but since their original move to Chicago in 1921, the team has never owned its own stadium. Furthermore, the historic Soldier Field sits on protected city-owned lakefront property, which limits expansion to preserve open public spaces.
In 2021, the Bears signed a purchase agreement for a 326-acre parcel of land in Arlington Heights where the defunct Arlington Park racetrack sat, 35 miles northwest of Soldier Field. Plans released in 2022 illustrated a sports and entertainment district on that site, but the Bears have not been able to lock down a bill that would freeze property taxes while the project is under construction and exempt them from sales taxes on construction materials, as well as provide $855 million in public funding for roads, sewers, and local commuter rails on their campus.
Progress stalled while the Illinois legislature debated Bears-friendly bills. That’s when they turned to options in Indiana. Talks officially commenced around December 2025, although the Indiana state government had been exploring the possibility of a new stadium entity earlier, in anticipation of luring the team across state lines. In February, the Indiana state legislature passed a bill offering the Bears $1 billion in incentives for $2 billion in Bears’ contributions. Indiana also has lower sales taxes and labor costs than Illinois.
Hammond, Indiana, is about 25 miles from Soldier Field. The South Shore Line Lakeshore Corridor commuter rail runs from Millennium Station through the South Side to Hammond and takes about 40 minutes.
Indiana has closed large, public-private multi-use stadium development projects before. The Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, merged funding from the team, the city, and the state back in 2008. Lucas Oil Stadium has since hosted a Super Bowl (2012), four NCAA Men’s Final Fours, as well as the annual NFL Combine.
In comparison, the Illinois state legislature debated a potential Bears bill for five months and then recessed for 40 days starting May 31 without a concrete bill or plan of action to secure the Bears franchise in the state.
Despite all of this, there has not been an actual site selection for the proposed Indiana stadium, and nothing has been agreed to that can’t be backed out of. Various rumors continue to surface about the viability of the Indiana sites, and the Illinois governor and state legislature continue to consider options to secure a deal.
The future of Soldier Field
While the ultimate landing spot for the Bears is still undecided, what seems more certain is that Soldier Field and the downtown campus will not be an option. One of the team’s primary goals is to own the land around the stadium to build their multi-purpose, year-round development, and the public spaces around Soldier Field make that impossible.
But that doesn’t mean Soldier Field is going anywhere anytime soon. The Chicago Park District wants to revamp the field and parking situation, in part with the payout from the Bears should they terminate their lease. Estimates for a refresh rest around $630 million, including infrastructure and visual improvements. However, Chicago taxpayers are still shouldering the bill from the last Soldier Field renovation in 2001.
But even when the Bears leave, Soldier Field could host concerts and other sporting events each year.
Next steps
The Bears’ Soldier Field days are numbered: fans have at least three seasons (but probably four or five) to see the Bears play at this iconic site. The Bears’ 2026 schedule is available here, and you can also check out our Ultimate Sports Calendar for Chicago to see everything happening in the Chicago area during each week of the Bears’ season.
