{"id":513519,"date":"2026-01-13T17:06:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T17:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/513519\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T17:06:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T17:06:23","slug":"what-to-know-about-possible-move-from-soldier-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/513519\/","title":{"rendered":"What to know about possible move from Soldier Field"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Bears embarked on a new era<\/a> in February 2023 with the purchase of a site in Arlington Heights where the team hopes to build a new enclosed stadium with a massive entertainment and residential development.<\/p>\n

In April 2024, the team laid out elaborate plans<\/a> for a new publicly owned domed stadium, but now, the storied NFL franchise\u2019s sights are focused on the northwest suburbs<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 or is it northwest Indiana<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about the long road to a new stadium<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The latest news
\n\"TheThe Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge, a common path for Chicagoans to travel to Indiana, shown from South Ewing Avenue in South Chicago on Dec. 17, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

The Bears are considering a move to northwest Indiana amid growing concerns that Illinois lawmakers will not approve the financial incentives needed to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, a top team official told the Tribune<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren confirmed the possibility of crossing state lines, but said the organization also would consider sites in other parts of Illinois. A letter to season ticket holders on Dec. 17 outlined plans to look elsewhere, too, adding more fodder to the ongoing political debate over the franchise\u2019s future and renewing an old threat to leave the state if the team doesn\u2019t get its needs met.<\/p>\n

NFL commissioner tours potential new Bears stadium sites
\n\"BearsBears kicker Cairo Santos speaks to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before the NFC wild-card playoff game against the Packers at Soldier Field on Jan. 10, 2026. (Patrick McDermott\/Getty)<\/p>\n

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell joined top Bears officials<\/a> to tour potential new stadium sites before the team\u2019s stunning playoff win over the Packers, a source familiar with the visit said.<\/p>\n

Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren and Chairman George McCaskey took Goodell on a tour of the Arlington Heights site the team owns, and two sites in northwest Indiana, including one near Wolf Lake in Hammond.<\/p>\n

News from Arlington Heights
\n\"TheThe Bears released an economic impact report that included architectural renderings of the proposed stadium in Arlington Heights on Sept. 30, 2025. (MANICA Architecture)<\/p>\n

Construction of a new Bears stadium in Arlington Heights would generate thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity<\/a>, but would also require substantial taxpayer support for infrastructure, according to team projections released on Sept. 30.<\/p>\n

Infrastructure such as entrance and exit ramps from near Route 53 and changes to the adjacent Metra train line would cost $855 million in public funds, the team\u2019s consultant estimated<\/a> in its report. The report attempts to assuage concerns about the price tag by pointing to gross state tax revenues of almost $1.3 billion over 40 years, according to projections from HR&A Advisors, Inc.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the history of the team in Chicago?<\/b><\/p>\n

While the Bears have called Soldier Field home since 1971<\/a>, the team has discussed or proposed playing its games elsewhere throughout much of the last 50 years.<\/p>\n

Wrigley Field served as the original home venue for the team when it moved to Chicago in 1921 and remained there through 1970. The team won nearly 70% of its home games during that span. But the Bears were forced to find a new home after the American Football League merged with the National Football League and required stadiums to seat at least 50,000 fans. The team played its last game at Wrigley Field on Dec. 13, 1970, beating the Packers 35-17.<\/p>\n

Kevin Warren all but shuts the door on the Bears staying in Chicago
\n\"ChicagoChicago Bears President Kevin Warren looks around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London before the start of a game between the Chicago Bears and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 13, 2024. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

The Bears all but slammed the door on building an enclosed stadium in the city, with team president Kevin Warren writing in a letter to fans<\/a> on Sept. 8 that the team\u2019s \u201cfuture home\u201d is in Arlington Heights<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoving outside of the city of Chicago is not a decision we reached easily,\u201d Warren said. \u201cThis project does not represent us leaving, it represents us expanding. The Bears draw fans from all over Illinois, and over 50 percent of our season-ticket holders live within 25 miles of the Arlington Heights site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warren made it clear the\u00a0team is committed to building a stadium, saying \u201cthis is the year\u201d to finalize plans<\/a> so the team could bid to host a Super Bowl \u201cas soon as 2031.\u201d He said the stadium would \u201crequire zero state money for construction,\u201d but the team would need the legislature to pass a bill in October to start construction this year.<\/p>\n

Arlington Park\u2019s rebirth<\/p>\n