Bears ownership may be looking in Indiana for a stadium.
The mayor of Hammond, Indiana wants to put together an offer to entice the National Football League’s Chicago Bears franchise owners to move to his city. Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. has said he would “bend over backwards” to get the Bears ownership move to Hammond and would “knock down buildings” to clear a spot if necessary. The Indiana Governor Michael Braun, and several state legislators would support building a stadium for the football team. There is no offer on the table from Indiana. Hammond is less than 30 miles south of Chicago. The Illinois legislature apparently is not in the mood to spend money for a Bears’ football venue nor is the Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. In December 2025, the Bears’ franchise President and CEO Kevin Warren sent another letter to Bears’ ticket holders, marketing partners and fans updating them on how a possible move to suburban Arlington Heights, Illinois from Chicago is going. Well it turns out that moving to Arlington Heights is not going according to plan and another strategy may be needed.
“Consequently, in addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana,” Warren wrote in his letter. “This is not about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights. Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day. With that in mind, our organization must keep every credible pathway open to deliver that future.” In February 2023, Bears’ ownership bought the Arlington Park racetrack property in the Chicago suburb in Arlington Heights for $197 million with the hopes of building a stadium-village. Nothing has happened.
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Hammond Mayor Thomas M McDermott Jr.
