Overview
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed he recently met with select Illinois lawmakers and said both Arlington Heights and Hammond should be allowed to present formal stadium proposals.
- The Chicago Bears have publicly advanced a domed stadium and mixed‑use plan in Hammond and continue near‑daily site due diligence on two Hammond properties.
- Indiana has passed enabling tax and incentive measures and is offering about $1 billion in taxpayer‑backed support while Gov. Mike Braun says his office talks to the Bears regularly and remains optimistic.
- Efforts in Illinois to assemble comparable public subsidies have stalled and Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he has spoken with Goodell and sees no sign the commissioner has picked a side.
- Key next steps that will decide the site are finished environmental and topographical studies, a concrete financing plan and formal local or state approvals, and the NFL has given no timeline for those outcomes.