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.
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.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
