Bears Board Votes to Advance Hammond Stadium Plan Sport By lines June 5, 2026 The Chicago Bears stadium fight took a decisive turn on Thursday. The Bears board of directors voted to advance a Hammond, Indiana, stadium. The move points the franchise toward its first out-of-state home. Why the Bears Board Vote Changes the Stadium Fight The Chicago Bears board of directors met Thursday on the stadium question. Chairman George McCaskey and CEO Kevin Warren confirmed the vote on Friday. The Bears released a joint statement from McCaskey and Warren. The team targeted Hammond, Indiana, with the exact site still to be selected. Indiana lawmakers approved a stadium authority for the project three months ago. That authority would draw on taxes from admissions, hotels, restaurants, and tolls. The deal pulled the Chicago Bears toward land near Wolf Lake in Hammond. Indiana’s financing pitch handed the Bears a concrete out-of-state option. A move would mark the first out-of-state home in the franchise’s 106-year history. McCaskey tied the Hammond site to permutations of the Wolf Lake property. A seven-person board now holds the Chicago Bears stadium decision. The vote followed three years of the Bears weighing rival locations. The Chicago Bears board pairs the McCaskey family with minority owner Pat Ryan. Chairman George McCaskey and CEO Kevin Warren steer the Bears’ stadium strategy. Ryan founded Aon and holds a stake in the Bears. That seven-person group now drives the Hammond decision. The Chicago Bears have owned a 326-acre Arlington Heights plot since 2021. Property tax disputes had stalled the Bears’ plans for that site. Warren even pushed a downtown lakefront stadium at a 2024 Museum Campus rally. Friday’s vote still did not fully eliminate Arlington Heights from contention. The vote tips the scales toward Hammond but stops short of a final decision. Illinois lawmakers had failed to pass a Chicago Bears stadium bill. Mayor Brandon Johnson still wants to keep the Bears inside Chicago. Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said construction could begin this summer. The stadium fight shadows a Chicago Bears team rebuilding around quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams enters 2026 as the face of the Bears franchise. A new venue would reshape Bears revenue and home crowds for decades. NFL relocations rarely move fast, even after a board vote. The Chicago Bears must still pick an exact Wolf Lake site in Hammond. Funding and approvals remain ahead for the Bears and Indiana officials. Watch whether Illinois counters with a fresh offer to retain the Bears. The franchise’s next home now hinges on Hammond’s timeline. Reporting from ESPN, the Chicago Sun-Times, and CBS Chicago informed this story. Related Sports Coverage Bears Say Chicago Stadium Options Are Exhausted Caleb Williams Lands First Bears Madden Cover
