Overview
- The team, which signaled Monday through multiple reports that a decision is weeks away, has narrowed the choice to team-owned Arlington Heights or a Hammond site near Wolf Lake.
- Indiana enacted a stadium framework in February and set up a regional stadium authority, while Illinois lacks the property-tax terms the Bears say are required to make Arlington Heights work.
- Illinois lawmakers return to Springfield Tuesday to consider a megaprojects plan that would let large developments negotiate payments in lieu of property taxes, a change that could decide Arlington Heights’ fate.
- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell urged a quick resolution last week, and Bears president Kevin Warren said delays are already pushing up costs as the club aims to finish the business deal this summer and open in 2030.
- Downtown options are off the table, with sites next to Soldier Field and at the former Michael Reese Hospital deemed not feasible by the team and the NFL, leaving the suburban Illinois and northwest Indiana bids.