Bears 'Have Exhausted Every Opportunity' to Stay in Chicago

Bears ‘Have Exhausted Every Opportunity’ to Stay in Chicago

The Chicago Bears released a statement on Thursday, saying there is not a viable site to build a new stadium in the city, and they are still considering Arlington Heights or Hammond, Indiana.

Aerial View of Hammond, Indiana during Summer — Source: Jacob Boomsma / Getty

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears have confirmed plans to leave the city as they explore building a new stadium in suburban Illinois or Hammond, Ind.

“The Chicago Bears have exhausted every opportunity to stay in Chicago, which was our initial goal,” the team said in a statement put out on Thursday. “There is not a viable site in the city. As a result, the only sites under consideration are in Arlington Heights and Hammond.”

The decision comes after team president Kevin Warren said that a new stadium location in Illinois or Indiana could be chosen this spring or summer.

Illinois has offered tax breaks for megaprojects like the Bears’ proposed complex in Arlington Heights to try to at least keep them in the state of Illinois. The Bears have played in Illinois since 1920 and have never owned their stadium.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker remains hopeful that the Bears will remain in his state.

“There really are only two places the Bears are considering having their stadium and that’s either in the state of Indiana or in Arlington Heights,” Pritzker said Thursday.

Arlington Park Exterior Views — Source: Stacy Revere / Getty

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he’s holding on to the position that Chicago remains the best place for the Bears to play their home games and he believes that the Bears still think that too.

“Recent conversations have always been designed around what terms we can agree upon for our publicly-owned stadium that the people of Chicago will benefit from,” said Mayor Johnson. “Our hope has never been lost.”

At an event in Elkhart on Thursday, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun told guests that the Illinois Legislature has not come up with anything better than or equal to what the Bears are looking for or what Indiana has offered in the proposed domed stadium in Hammond.

“You’ll get a lot more stadium for the amount of money you invest, and with the vitality, business atmosphere, and fan base that you can get coming into Hammond,” said Gov. Braun.

Another reason Gov. Braun said the Bears are strongly considering northwest Indiana is because of the state’s Triple-A credit rating.