Published June 2, 2026 07:35 PM
The Bears supposedly have narrowed their focus for the site of a new stadium to Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana. Chicago continues to believe it’s in play for the new domed stadium the team covets.
“There’s no plan in Hammond,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “There’s none of that in the suburbs. We are already further along than any other site that might even be considered.”
Johnson also made a somewhat stunning claim that Chicago and the Bears are quietly moving toward an agreement.
“Not only did we have a publicly owned stadium that expanded green space, we were moving forward with conversations around the terms of an agreement,” Johnson said. “That’s been ongoing, and the hope is that Springfield, after what they’ve done in this last session, that Springfield engages with the Bears, with the city and all stakeholders collectively, to come up with a . . . plan that shows the viability of what we’ve already put forward.”
Johnson is a firm believer in the viability of Chicago as the location for the team’s new stadium.
“[T]here’s no comparison,” Johnson said. “There’s no traffic study in Arlington Heights. There’s no environmental study in Hammond. There are no terms of agreement.”
Although a dome would remove the elements from the equation for Bears games, it seems to be a given that the new stadium will have a roof. Regardless, the Bears belong in Chicago. Here’s hoping that’s how this saga ends.