On a bustling Sunday at Soldier Field, a sea of Bears supporters filled the stands, passionately backing their team as they faced off against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional playoff showdown.
Despite the excitement, a significant uncertainty looms over the future home of the Bears’ games in the coming years.
The Bears are on the hunt for a new stadium, sparking speculation about whether they might relocate outside the city—or even the state—in pursuit of an optimal financial deal.
ABC7 has uncovered that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been exploring potential sites in suburban Arlington Heights and Northwest Indiana.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has expressed his desire for the Bears to stay within the city limits, while Governor JB Pritzker has hinted at possible state assistance with infrastructure to keep the team local.
Meanwhile, during his State of The State address, Indiana Governor Mike Braun revealed efforts are underway to entice the Bears to Northwest Indiana.
Democratic State Representative Earl Harris Junior of East Chicago says there are four possible sites for a new stadium: one in Hammond near Wolf Lake and three in Gary near the Hard Rock Casino, another at Miller Beach, the third is near the city’s airport.
“Plenty of opportunity, lots of space and then lots of connectivity to airport, beaches, convention center, etcetera.” Harris said the state is building up tourism. “So, creating areas where people can come, they can eat, they can see live shows, they can do sports, they can do gambling, they can hang out on the beach.”
Harris said he doesn’t have specifics on the discussions when Goodell visited Northwest Indiana.
“Clearly for me, the fact that he was in Northwest Indiana and the survey the Bears sent out mean something. You’re not going to waste time if you’re not seriously looking at Northwest Indiana as an option,” he said.
State Representative Mary Beth Canty is from Arlington Heights, another possible location for a new Bears stadium.
“We’ve worked so hard here in the state to make sure we’re on a good financial footing. That we are doing right by the people who live here and will have to pay the taxes here. So, we want to make sure that the policy is correct,” she said.
That policy includes a proposed mega projects bill. It would allow local taxing bodies, including school districts, to negotiate property tax deals on major development projects, that are fair to all sides.
The tax bill for a new Bears stadium is estimated to be between $100 million and $200 million a year.
“I think we believe here in the state, that that decision is best left to the local government bodies who rely on that income,” Canty said. “We want to make sure that we are giving them the tools that they need to make decisions for their communities.”
Canty said she was not with Goodell when he visited Arlington Heights.
“I understood that the conversations were good. And that they were impressed with the site and what could be done with the site,” she said.
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