The Chicago Bears have played in Illinois since 1920. They have never played a home game outside the state. But after five years of failed negotiations, a $1 billion offer from Indiana, and a board vote that felt like a farewell, the franchise is closer than ever to walking away.
As of late September 2026, the Bears are not officially gone. But the team’s leadership has made it clear where their focus lies: Hammond, Indiana.
Here’s the full picture of how one of the NFL’s founding franchises ended up on the brink of leaving Chicago.
The Short Answer: Not Yet, But Almost
The Bears have not formally relocated. They still hold a lease at Soldier Field through the 2033 season. But in June 2026, the team’s board of directors voted to advance plans for a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana.
Since then, Bears Chairman George McCaskey and President Kevin Warren have repeatedly stated that Hammond is their focus. “We don’t have an offer from the state of Illinois,” Warren said in August. “Right now our focus is on Hammond, Indiana, to make sure that we bring that to life.”
The team has not filed relocation paperwork with the NFL. No shovels have hit the ground. But the momentum is unmistakably pointing across the state line.
How It Fell Apart in Illinois
The Bears’ stadium saga began in 2021 when the team signed a purchase agreement for 326 acres in Arlington Heights, the former site of Arlington International Racecourse. The plan was a nearly $5 billion enclosed stadium and entertainment district.
But the team needed something from Illinois: property tax certainty and infrastructure funding. Without it, Warren said, the project was impossible.
The Illinois legislature tried. A bill passed the Senate that would have allowed Arlington Heights to create a stadium authority, giving the Bears a pathway to avoid property taxes. But the House adjourned without a vote on May 31, 2026.
The Bears had given Illinois every chance. They had shifted focus from Arlington Heights to the Chicago lakefront and back again. They had waited through multiple legislative sessions. When the spring session ended without a deal, the team’s patience ran out.
Indiana’s $1 Billion Pitch
While Illinois stalled, Indiana moved.
In February 2026, Indiana lawmakers passed legislation establishing a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct, and lease a stadium. They offered the Bears up to $1 billion in incentives and guaranteed the property tax certainty the team had been begging Illinois for.
The site: Hammond, Indiana, about 25 miles from Soldier Field. The team has been conducting environmental and geological studies on two potential locations near Wolf Lake, and Warren said due diligence is nearly complete.
“This is a great opportunity for Northwest Indiana,” Indiana officials said. The Bears agreed. In June, they voted to move forward.
“Hope Is Not a Strategy”
The most telling moment came in August 2026, when McCaskey was asked if he still hoped to stay in Illinois.
“Hope is not a strategy,” he said. “We have to deal with the here and now. We have to deal with real circumstances. And these are the real circumstances.”
He has also addressed the emotional weight of leaving. “It’s going to require an adjustment,” he said. “But when I’ve driven that route, other than a sign telling me so, I wouldn’t know that I’ve just crossed the state border.”
And he has made one thing clear: the team will not change its name. “We will be the Chicago Bears whether we’re in Arlington or whether we’re in Hammond.”
The Last Chance for Illinois
There is still a path for the Bears to stay in Illinois. Governor JB Pritzker has said he is open to a special legislative session, and the General Assembly has fall veto sessions scheduled for November and December 2026.
But Pritzker has also said the Bears “have not presented a bill” to help them build in Illinois since the spring session ended. Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia remains hopeful, saying he believes a deal could still be reached “before it’s too late.”
The clock is ticking. Warren has said construction costs rise by $150 million for every year they wait. And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has met with Illinois lawmakers, signaling that the league wants a resolution.
The Bottom Line
The Chicago Bears are not officially leaving Chicago. But they are closer than they have ever been.
They have a site in Indiana, a $1 billion offer, and a board that has voted to advance. They have exhausted their options in Illinois, at least for now. And they have made clear that Hammond is where their focus lies.
If Illinois can pass a bill in the fall veto session, the story could change. If not, the Bears may become the first NFL franchise to leave Chicago since they arrived in 1921.
For a team that has never played a home game outside Illinois, that would be an adjustment unlike any other.
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