Bears president floats Northwest Indiana as new home amid stadium standoff with Illinois Legislature

The Chicago Bears are thinking outside of the box — er, state — for their next stadium.

Bears president Kevin Warren released a letter to season-ticket holders Wednesday with an update on the franchise's yearslong search for a new home after decades at Soldier Field. In recent years, the campaign has focused on a site in the suburb of Arlington Heights that the Bears purchased in 2023, with Warren saying in September that the team needs to finalize plans this year.

However, Warren said in his letter Wednesday that Illinois state leaders have directly told the Bears the project will not be a priority in 2026 and that the team will now expand its search for a stadium in the greater Chicago area. That includes the region of Northwest Indiana.

From the letter:

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.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/bears-president-floats-northwest-indiana-as-new-home-amid-stadium-standoff-with-illinois-legislature-235503915.html

My mom's side of the family lives there so I'm somewhat familiar with area. Can't imagine anyone but the most hardcore Bears fan attending a game there.