'This Is Not About Leverage': Bears CEO Kevin Warren Floats Indiana Move After Illinois Talks Stall
Near the end of a season in which the Chicago Bears are surprisingly vying for a playoff bid, team president and CEO Kevin Warren is once again drawing public attention away from the field.
Just days before a pivotal division rivalry game against the Green Bay Packers, Warren announced in an open letter on Wednesday that the team would expand its search for a new stadium site throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana.
Warren said the expanded search radius was necessary after efforts to get public infrastructure funding for the Arlington Heights site had hit a dead end.
"This is not about leverage," Warren wrote. "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."
Illinois state leadership told the team the stadium project won't be a legislative priority in 2026, Warren said. He added that those leaders have not shared a "sense of urgency or appreciation" for a public partnership that projects with this level of impact require.
Warren has repeatedly tried and failed to drum up support from the state legislature for a new stadium. In 2023, the team bought land in Arlington Heights for a stadium. The following year, it proposed staying in Chicago before committing to the Arlington Heights site once more in September, only to walk that back this week.
Warren said in September that 2025 was the target year to finalize stadium plans so the team could officially bid to host a Super Bowl as early as 2031. When the team pitched its Chicago stadium, it hoped to begin construction on a lakefront facility in summer 2025, with an expected completion date in 2028.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has remained steadfast in his opposition to using taxpayer money for stadium development, slammed Warren's open letter.
"Suggesting the Bears would move to Indiana is a startling slap in the face to all the beloved and loyal fans who have been rallying around the team during this strong season," a Pritzker spokesperson said in a statement.
"The Governor’s a Bears fan who has always wanted them to stay in Chicago," the spokesperson added. "The Governor has also been clear that the bottom line for any private business development should not come at the full expense of taxpayers."
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun welcomed the news with a post on X:
The Chicago Bears recognize Indiana’s pro-business climate, and I am ready to work with them to build a new stadium in Northwest Indiana.
— Governor Mike Braun (@GovBraun) December 18, 2025
This move would deliver a major economic boost, create jobs, and bring another premier NFL franchise to the Hoosier State. Let’s get it… https://t.co/bW72dSxS3p
Many Bears fans also took to social media to express their discontent with the stadium talks that have yet to yield meaningful progress, including Jarrett Payton, son of Bears legendary running back Walter Payton:
I’m exhausted w/ the back-&-forth about the #Bears stadium. This team is playing meaningful football, close to clinching a playoff spot, & about to play in one of the biggest games in franchise history. That’s all we should be talking about. The two sides need to figure this out…
— Jarrett Payton (@paytonsun) December 18, 2025
With only three weeks to go in the NFL regular season, the timeline for yet another stadium proposal remains unclear.
