Arts & Entertainment
The Bears Are Still Looking for a New Stadium. Here’s Where Things Stand
The Chicago Bears’ season officially ended Sunday in an overtime thriller against the Los Angeles Rams, but the saga of the team’s future home is still playing out.
Bears leadership and Illinois lawmakers have butted heads over a proposed stadium project in Arlington Heights.
Tensions culminated in a Dec. 17 announcement from the Bears that the team is considering several sites in northwest Indiana, a prospect many Indiana lawmakers and officials seem to be relishing.
In his State of the State address, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said his state is working hard to entice the Bears into a move.
“With our strong business environment, it’s not surprising that another organization has noticed that Indiana is open for business — the Chicago Bears,” Braun said. “We are working hard to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier state so they can really see what a great place is to have a business.”
The Indiana Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday unanimously passed Senate Bill 27, which would establish a northwest Indiana stadium authority.
This government authority would be empowered to buy land and finance construction of a new NFL stadium, providing financial support to a prospective franchise.
Under SB27, the stadium authority would purchase a site and rent the property to an NFL team for a minimum of 35 years. That team would not pay any property taxes on the stadium and would have the option to purchase the property after the 35 years are up.
Because the Bears would own the stadium at the proposed Arlington Heights site, rather than lease it from the government, the team would be subject to Cook County property taxes.
Marc Ganis, president and co-founder of sports business consulting firm SportsCorp, said virtually no NFL teams pay property taxes on their stadiums.
“Sports teams typically do not pay property taxes because most stadiums are owned by a governmental authority and most stadiums are paid for in whole or in part by the government itself,” Ganis said.
Under the Arlington Heights proposal, the Bears were willing to pay for the whole stadium themselves as well as pay property taxes, Ganis said. But negotiations have fallen through over the Bears’ desire for “property tax certainty.”
“So the Bears are saying, ‘We’ll pay for the whole thing, and you want us to pay property taxes as well. OK, we’ll pay that, but we need to know what they are, or we can’t finance the project,’” Ganis said.
SB27 was officially introduced to the appropriations committee Jan. 15. Soon after, the Bears released a statement praising Indiana lawmakers.
“We appreciate the leadership and responsiveness of Governor Braun and Indiana lawmakers in advancing a framework that allows these conversations to move forward productively,” the Bears said.
Illinois state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, who represents Arlington Heights, introduced a bill in February 2025 that put a property assessment freeze on “mega projects” — defined as projects that invest $500 million within seven years.
Under Canty’s bill, the Bears would have a clearer picture of the property taxes they would need to pay in Arlington Heights.
But Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch said earlier this month that he and other lawmakers don’t have negotiating a deal for a new Bears stadium high on their priority list.
Still, Canty expressed confidence that her bill will be a focus for the assembly in 2026.
“A lot of lawmakers throughout the state see the value in a program like this, an ability like this,” Canty said. “Not just in Arlington Heights, not just in Chicago, but really all over the state. This can be meaningful. Whether the Bears are able to make their case once we pass it — if they’re able to make their case to Arlington Heights and the surrounding communities — that would be wonderful.”
The Illinois House is next scheduled to be in session Feb. 17.
