Move Over, Colts – Indiana Makes a Play for a Second NFL Team

Are the Chicago Bears Leaving Illinois?

Football fans across the state are watching and waiting to see if longtime Illinois team the Chicago Bears could actually cross the border and become Hoosiers.

According to the NFL, the franchise began in 1920 in Decatur, Illinois, as the Decatur Staleys of the American Professional Football Association, which officially became the NFL in 1922. Soldier Field was built in Chicago in 1924 on a bed of Kentucky bluegrass, though the Bears did not start playing there until the early Seventies. Before that, they shared Wrigley Field with the Cubs.

Soldier Field Concerns and Stadium Challenges

With a capacity of 61,500, Soldier Field was considered state-of-the-art at the time. Fast forward nearly a century, and nostalgia does not always pay the bills.

The Chicago Bears do not own Soldier Field. They rent it from the City of Chicago, and taxpayers are still paying for the last renovation. Concerns about the stadium and its limited revenue potential have the team exploring other options.

Arlington Heights Property Purchase

In February 2023, the Bears finalized the purchase of the former Arlington Park Racetrack property in Arlington Heights for $197.2 million. Arlington Heights sits about 25 miles northwest of downtown Chicago in Cook County.

That move comes with a hefty price tag. The Bears have asked leaders in both Illinois and Indiana to ease certain taxes as stadium talks continue.

Indiana Cities Try to Lure the Bears

Some folks in Indiana saw an opportunity in the Bears’ desire for a new home. Two Northwest Indiana locations have tried to lure the franchise to the Hoosier State.

The Bears have explored a proposed site near Hammond. Leaders in Portage, Indiana, are also planning to pitch a new stadium concept called Halas Harbor. Back in January, Senate Bill 27 passed the Indiana Senate in a 46 to 2 vote, according to the IndyStar. The bill would create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to help finance a stadium, a move that not everyone agrees with.

Lawmakers say it will not move forward unless the Bears make a stronger commitment to Indiana.

Could the Bears Move to Iowa

And just to add another layer to the drama, Iowa has entered the chat.

A bill introduced in the Iowa State Senate this week seeks to expand the state’s economic growth attraction program with the goal of luring the Bears to the Davenport area, one of the largest cities in the Quad Cities region.

Where is Illinois in All This?

Back in December, Kevin Warren, Bears President and CEO released an open letter to fans about the move. "The stakes for Illinois are significant: thousands of union jobs, year-round attractions and global events made possible by a fixed roof stadium that would provide long-term revenue for the State. For a project of this scale, uncertainty has significant consequences. Stable timelines are critical, as are predictable processes and elected leaders, who share a sense of urgency and appreciation for public partnership that projects with this level of impact require. We have not received that sense of urgency or appreciation to date. We have been told directly by State leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026, despite the benefits it will bring to Illinois."

Governor Pritzker has stated this week that he's taking the threat of the NFL team moving to another state seriously and is working with them to combat that. For now, Bears fans are left waiting.

Will the team stay put in Illinois, head to Northwest Indiana, or shock everyone with a move somewhere else entirely? The stadium saga is far from over.