When you think of Chicago, you think of a few key things. The wind, obviously, hence its nickname, Portillo’s, The Bean, and The Bears.
This past season for Chicago fans was about as close to a fairy tale as you could get without bringing home a Lombardi trophy. They won the NFC North, beat the Packers twice (including the playoffs), and established that they’ll have a dominant QB and head coach duo going forward.
Even though it didn’t end in hardware, Windy City fans had their heads held high and rightfully so.
One topic that has persisted early in the postseason for Chicago has been what they intend to do regarding the construction of a new stadium.
Early on in the offseason, Bears owner Kevin Warren released a statement, bringing awareness to the fact that the Bears would be expanding their stadium search into Northwest Indiana.
More: Could the Bears be moving to Indiana?
With state and local officials going back and forth with Bears’ ownership, a decision may have been made in silence based on the swift action of one state and the inability to reach a decision in another.
Indiana unanimously passes bill to land the Bears
On February 19th, 2026, the state of Indiana unanimously approved an amendment to Indiana State Bill 27. The bill would grant the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority the ability to acquire land, issue bonds, and finance the building of a new stadium.
This is horrible news if you’re a diehard fan of the Chicago Bears, because you’re likely soon to be the fans of the Northwest Indiana Bears.
Indiana is open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears. We’ve identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal. If…
— Governor Mike Braun (@GovBraun) February 19, 2026
With Illinois officials dragging their feet to get the proper funding in place to keep the Bears in Chicago, the state of Indiana has quickly pounced on the opportunity.
The move wouldn’t take effect immediately, as the team has a lease with the state of Illinois until 2033, and it takes years to build a stadium, but the point remains. All signs point to the Bears eventually moving across state lines.
It’s a shame that this news is all becoming public just a few short months following their best season in over a decade, but sadly, the NFL is a business at the end of the day, and team owners will always look for the best deal.
It will be interesting to track this over the coming weeks as a finalized deal seems to be coming down the pike.
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