CEO Warren: Bears' "sole focus" for new stadium site is in Northwest Indiana

Chicago Bears chief executive officer Kevin Warren said Thursday that while team representatives have still been meeting with Illinois officials, the team's "sole focus" is now building a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana.

Taking questions from reporters for the first time since the team's board of directors voted to advance stadium developments in Hammond, Warren said the Bears have selected two sites near Wolf Lake — one in the Lost Marsh along Calumet Avenue, the other at the Wolf Lake Terminal site. He said the two sites may be merged.

Topographical, geographical, and environmental studies are complete at the Lost Marsh site, and due diligence is in progress at the Wolf Lake Terminal site, Warren said.

Warren has used the "sole focus" language before. In January 2023, when he first started in his executive role with the Bears, Warren said the team was committed to a new stadium in Arlington Heights.

Subsequently, the Bears pivoted to a plan for a new stadium on Chicago's lakefront, and then back to Arlington Heights. But now, while there have still been occasional meetings with the State of Illinois, Warren said the plan is to go to Indiana.

"Our sole focus at this point in time is working on a world-class stadium and mixed-use development in Hammond," Warren said.

Warren said Indiana state officials, from Gov. Mike Braun's office to Northwest Indiana local officials, have been "phenomenal partners."

Warren said he understood why a fan might be upset about the Bears making such a move.

"But I think what's important to recognize, this is important for the fans for us to build a world-class stadium," he said. "It's time. The time has come for us to do it."

Warren said the fans need a better game-day experience than they currently have at Soldier Field. He also said the fans deserve a stadium that can host events such as a Super Bowl, a World Cup, concerts, college football playoff games, and other pro-sporting events.

"I think everyone will be pleased, one, once we make the final decision, and two, once we break ground, and three, once we open up," Warren said.

Illinois state Rep. John Cabello (R-Machesney Park), who is on the committee that oversees potential legislation to keep the Bears in Illinois said the state shouldn't just accept the prospect of the team taking jobs, development, and revenue across the state line to Indiana.

"It's good news for Illinois that they didn't come out and say, 'We are moving to Indiana,'" Cabello said. "I don't understand why the state doesn't see the urgency behind this. I really don't."

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday morning that his office has had contact with the Bears since they turned their focus to Hammond earlier this year, and Warren acknowledged a move to Arlington Heights is still on the table, though he suggested that possibility is less likely.

"Governor Pritzker is correct. There is nothing in writing. We don't have an offer from the state of Illinois, and our focus now is on Indiana, and obviously, like I said, there have been occasional meetings that have taken place, but right now our focus is on Hammond, Indiana, to make sure that we bring that to life," Warren said.

Bears chairman George McCaskey said the team would still be the Chicago Bears no matter where they play, "whether we're in Arlington Heights or Hammond."

McCaskey was asked about the "anxiety and stress" that many Bears fans felt about the idea of the team moving to a stadium in Indiana, not Illinois, regardless of the proximity of Hammond to downtown Chicago. McCaskey said fans would get used to it once the stadium is unveiled.

"When I've driven that route, other than a sign telling me so, I wouldn't know that I've just crossed the state border," McCaskey said. "And as Kevin said, once people see the building, once they get in there, once they understand that our top priority from day one was world-class stadium experience, we think we'll make that adjustment. We think Bears fans are up for that."

McCaskey said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has already visited the Lost Marsh site. He also compared the Bears' plans with the Kansas City Chiefs' plans to move from Missouri to Kansas.

McCaskey called the discussions with Illinois lawmakers "minimal" since the team's board voted to pivot its focus to Indiana.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said Wednesday he speaks with Bears representatives twice a week, and added that a lot of things have happened quickly. He referenced the additional site at Wol Lake Terminal that Warren said the Bears have been evaluating.

"When we get this across the finish line — we're in the due diligence stage — it's going to be one of the biggest thing that's ever occurred in our state, not to mention the Region," Braun said. "So we're doing everything you need to do to make sure we get it done."

Warren said due diligence on the Lost Marsh site is complete and that location has been deemed viable for a stadium. Due diligence on the Wolf Lake Terminal property is still under active review. He said the Bears might even be able to "merge those sites together."

The Wolf Lake Terminal site is currently home to a facility operated by the Defense Logistics Agency, which said it is "aware of stadium negotiations between the Chicago Bears and the City of Hammond," but they have not had any talks with the Bears.

Warren said the Bears are working on finalizing the decision – and financing – for what he described as a "world-class stadium" that Bears fans deserve.

"My wife told me about six months ago, 'Don't give any more target dates. So just get the work done.' Greta, I love you, and I'm listening to you, and so I think the target is the right time. We'll know when it is," Warren said.

The Bears announced their intention to move to Northwest Indiana after the Illinois General Assembly failed to pass legislation supporting a Bears stadium project in Arlington Heights, where the team had been expected for years to build a new stadium. Illinois legislators adjourned in June without figuring out a Bears property tax solution.

The team made a bid for the property in June 2021 before purchasing the former Arlington International Racecourse in February 2023 for $197 million.

In April 2024, the Bears proposed a city stadium on Chicago's lakefront just south of Soldier Field, but Pritzker said he would not support any public funds for the project.

By September 2025, the team was back to focusing on Arlington Heights. In December 2025, a letter to fans announced that Northwest Indiana was on the table after a tiff over Illinois property taxes.

In February, Indiana lawmakers in the state House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved an amendment to Indiana Senate Bill 27 that would pave the way for the Bears to move to Hammond. The proposal would commit up to $1 billion in public funding towards a stadium, and create a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority with the power to issue bonds, acquire land, and finance construction.

While Indiana has agreed to help finance a Bears stadium, the team plans to commit $2 billion towards the construction of the facility.