With a 10–4 record, good for first place in the NFC North, the vibes around the Chicago Bears haven’t been this positive in years.
Fans love the direction of the team under head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams. How could they not? And winning does what winning always does: quiets the noise.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere’s that old saying — winning cures everything. And it’s never felt more true than it does right now.
Because when the Bears are rolling, fans stop worrying about everything else. Stadium drama. Organizational missteps. All of it fades into the background.
Until it doesn’t.
Earlier this week, as the Bears prepared to host the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in their biggest regular-season game in at least seven years, team president and CEO Kevin Warren decided to reintroduce the noise. He released an "open letter" to fans detailing the organization’s latest stance in its long-running search for a new stadium.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA stadium search, you ask? Confusing, I know. It feels like the Bears have announced a new stadium with renderings half a dozen times by now. Surely something is finalized.
Yeah…about that.
The letter laid bare the stalled negotiations between the Bears and Illinois lawmakers — and in lamest terms, the Bears back at square one.
So here’s everything you need to know, plus the context required to read between the lines.
Soldier Field Isn’t the Bears’ Building
This here is the foundation of the entire conversation: the Bears do not own Soldier Field.
The stadium is owned by the Chicago Park District, which limits what the Bears can do with it long-term. Renovation options are restricted. Naming rights and certain revenue streams are off the table. Control over events, concerts, and year-round usage is limited.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat’s why Soldier Field isn’t just old — it’s economically outdated.
And it’s why another renovation isn’t realistic. The Bears aren’t choosing to move on out of greed or impatience. They’re operating inside a structural reality that prevents Soldier Field from ever becoming the kind of modern, revenue-generating venue the NFL now expects.
It only makes sense for one of the most iconic organizations in professional football to own their own home and bring in revenue reflective of the teams popularity. A newer, larger stadium (with a roof) would also serve as a future host for Super Bowls, Final 4s, and other year round events.
Whether fans like it or not, the Bears are guaranteed to move into a new stadium eventually. The only real question is where it will be located.
Kevin Warren Inherited a Half-Finished Process
Kevin Warren didn’t start the Arlington Heights saga. Former team president Ted Phillips led the original Arlington Park land purchase and early negotiations.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bears completed the purchase of the property, spending $197 million in 2023. That part is done.
What never materialized was the part that actually allows a stadium to be built. They have no finalized development agreement, no binding tax framework, no guaranteed infrastructure commitments, and no legislative partnership that creates timeline certainty.
Owning the land is not the same thing as having a deal. And Warren inherited a situation where years of work produced property ownership — but very little leverage.
That’s the frustration underlying his letter.
Why Illinois Is Skeptical
Here’s where the politics get messy — and understandable.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIllinois taxpayers are still paying down hundreds of millions of dollars in debt tied to Soldier Field’s 2003 renovation. That project delivered one of the smallest and least flexible stadiums in the league, and it became a cautionary tale more than a success story.
So when the Bears return asking for “partnership,” many residents — and lawmakers — hear echoes of a deal that failed to age well.
That skepticism is heightened by the broader financial context. Illinois residents have recently absorbed increased transportation and infrastructure costs, from tollway hikes to transit funding pressures across CTA, Metra, and Pace. Even if funding for stadium infrastructure spending is normal for a project of this size, it’s a difficult political sell in a climate where voters already feel stretched.
This doesn’t mean lawmakers are anti-Bears. It means they’re cautious — and caution moves slowly.
Arlington Heights Is Still Plan A — Even If the Bears Won’t Say It Directly
Warren makes the organization’s position clear when he says that "Arlington Heights is the only viable site in Cook County for a modern, world-class stadium."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bears say they are prepared to invest more than $2 billion of their own money to build it. They emphasize they are not asking the state to fund the stadium itself — only infrastructure support (roads, utilities, site preparation) and predictable property taxes to secure financing.
But infrastructure still costs real money. And politically, voters don’t always distinguish between “stadium funding” and “stadium-adjacent funding.”
Warren’s central complaint is urgency. And Illinois leadership has directly told the Bears that the project would not be a priority in 2026. It's already being dismissed. From the Bears’ perspective, that kind of uncertainty makes planning and financing a multi billion-dollar project impossible.
So the organization did what any large entity does when it feels stalled: it widened the conversation — loudly.
The Indiana Angle
This is the part that made it to the mainstream media. It's probably why you're reading this article. The Bears are expanding their search beyond Cook County, and are even looking at Northwest Indiana.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIndiana Governor Mike Braun quickly expressed public support, touting the state’s pro-business climate and readiness to work with the Bears.
Hammond, IN mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said he would "bend over backwards to do anything I can to help the Bears come here."
That's certainly a different tone than the politicians in Illinois currently have.
From a surface-level standpoint, Indiana looks appealing. Faster approvals. A friendlier political posture. A willingness to compete for marquee projects.
But it’s not as simple as it sounds.
Even in Indiana, a stadium project of this scale would require rezoning, environmental reviews, transportation impact studies, and coordination across multiple levels of government. In other words, many of the same logistical and political hurdles would still exist — just in a different state.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere has also been recent chatter about Indiana and Illinois exploring the possibility of adjusting their shared border, with Indiana establishing a commission to study whether certain Illinois counties could eventually join the Hoosier State. While the idea has generated headlines, it remains a long-shot scenario that would require approval from both state legislatures and Congress. Still, the conversation itself underscores the broader political moment: regional frustration, competing tax climates, and states positioning themselves as more business-friendly than their neighbors. In that sense, the border discussion doesn’t meaningfully change the Bears’ stadium math — but it does help explain why Indiana feels emboldened to insert itself so publicly into the conversation.
And then there’s public sentiment.
Northwest Indiana residents largely identify with Chicago. But the rest of Indiana belongs to the Indianapolis Colts. Asking Indiana taxpayers in Muncie, Bloomington, or Terre Haute to help fund infrastructure for a Chicago-based franchise is not guaranteed to be popular, no matter how enthusiastic state leadership may be. The political resistance the Bears face in Illinois doesn’t magically disappear across state lines — it just takes a different form.
Even beyond politics and logistics, there’s a deeper issue the Bears can’t ignore: identity.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEven if a Northwest Indiana site were more accessible for some Chicago-area fans than Arlington Heights, the optics are difficult to overlook. The Chicago Bears are one of the most iconic and historic franchises in American sports, and their identity is inseparable from the city — and the state — they represent.
This is a team whose fight song proudly declares, “You’re the pride and joy of Illinois.” Crossing state lines, even for practical reasons, would feel like a symbolic rupture for many fans. That discomfort is already evident in early reactions, and it underscores why Indiana, while technically viable, remains an uneasy fit.
There are many examples of teams playing across state lines — the New York Jets and New York Giants are a great example. But even for fans who might tolerate the move more easily — myself included — it would still feel...off.
Some lines aren’t crossed lightly, and for a franchise this rooted in identity, state borders matter more than spreadsheets suggest.
Is Indiana a Real Option — or Leverage?
The honest answer is: both.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIndiana is credible in the sense that it’s possible. But the way it was introduced — publicly, abruptly, and during a winning season — makes its function obvious. It creates urgency. It applies pressure. It's an attempt rally fans while the proverbial iron is hot.
And if you read the letter closely, Warren spends far too much time explaining "why Arlington Heights is ideal" for someone ready to abandon that plan. That tells you everything you need to know.
Arlington Heights is still where the Bears want to build. Indiana is a bluff.
The Bottom Line
Anyone can see that this wasn't a letter. It was a strategic message aimed at lawmakers, delivered through fans while the team has momentum and goodwill on its side.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bears want certainty. Illinois wants to avoid repeating past mistakes. Fans want a modern stadium — but not at the cost of identity or credibility.
Right now, those priorities are colliding.
And until one side blinks, the stadium drama isn’t going anywhere — no matter how many games the Bears keep winning.
All that being said, this will certainly have no impact on Ben Johnson, the coaches on staff, or the players in the Bears locker room. I'd imagine most of them don't even know it's happening. The focus in that building, and the focus of the fans, should be on one things right now: Beat Green Bay.
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