NFL Bears move to Indiana gains traction

Article posted by Coliseum, February 4^th, 2026

Image: Soldier Field, Moses8910, CC BY-SA 4.0

A push to attract the NFL’s Chicago Bears to Indiana has been given a boost after two top lawmakers in the Indiana Senate authored a bill making the state’s bid more serious.

IndyStar said Senate Bill 27, initially an empty vehicle bill waiting for a subject matter, would create a northwest Indiana stadium authority, which would have the power to acquire and finance the construction of facilities.

The bill was assigned to the Senate appropriations committee in January and the Bears called it a “significant milestone.”

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago (US). The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The 61,500-capacity Soldier Field serves as their home ground.

The Bears said late last year that they were looking at different options for a site for their new stadium despite earlier heralding suburban Arlington Heights as the only venue for the build project.

Bears CEO and President Kevin Warren wrote an open letter to fans saying that the search for a new stadium site had been expanded to the wider Chicagoland region, including northwest Indiana.

This kicked off a flurry of excitement among community leaders and Governor Mike Braun, who said, “With our strong business environment, it’s not surprising that another organization has noticed that Indiana is open for business: the Chicago Bears.”

Braun also gave prominence to the idea of bringing the Chicago Bears to northwest Indiana by saying in his State of the State address that the administration is “working hard” on it.

Republican Senator Ryan Mishler, bill author and appropriations chair, has previously acknowledged that he was in talks with Warren just after his open letter.

He said, “I’ve had a conversation with Mr. Warren, a critical individual with a lot of Indiana ties, and I’m sure we’re going to have a lot more discussions moving forward.”

IndyStar further stated that Indiana already had some existing planning infrastructure to support a sporting franchise’s move to the state.

Lawmakers passed a law last year creating a new “Northwest Indiana professional sports development commission,” whose task is to figure out how to build the infrastructure necessary to attract a professional sports team ― be it football, baseball, basketball or even hockey ― to the region.

A statement from the Bears said, “The legislation presented by the State of Indiana is a significant milestone in our discussions around a potential stadium development in Chicagoland’s Northwest Indiana region.

“We appreciate the leadership and responsiveness of Governor Braun and Indiana lawmakers in advancing a framework that allows these conversations to move forward productively.”

The bill lays out all the abilities granted to the authority in relation to issuing bonds and making financial decisions to acquire land, build a stadium and enter into contracts.

The authority can only issue bonds if it has a written agreement with a National Football League team that includes an at-least 35-year lease for the stadium.

The board overseeing the authority would only comprise three members: the director of the office of management and budget or a designee, the public finance director, and another member appointed by the OMB director.

The sports commission has also been raising money for a regional market study to position the area to attract a professional sports team.

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