The Chicago Bears are done waiting on Springfield.

Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren declared Thursday, Aug. 13, at the team's Lake Forest headquarters that Hammond, Indiana is the franchise's "sole focus" for a new stadium and mixed-use development. The McCaskey family has committed $2 billion in private money toward the project, and Warren said the team has no written proposal before the state of Illinois and no deal in place, according to Patch.

For Park Ridge residents who have followed this saga since the Bears first eyed Arlington Heights in 2021, the announcement marks the clearest signal yet that the team's future home will be across the state line.

"We don't have any legislation in Illinois. We don't have a deal with Illinois. Our focus, again, at this point in time, is in Hammond, Indiana, and we're doing everything that we possibly can," Warren told reporters at Halas Hall.

Two Hammond sites, one possible mega-development

Warren identified two properties under consideration: the Lost Marsh Golf Course, where due diligence is complete and the land has been confirmed viable for construction, and the Wolf Lake Terminal site, where environmental studies continue. He said the team may merge both into a single larger development.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has personally visited the Lost Marsh property, Warren said.

Indiana has authorized up to $1 billion in public funding through a combination of food-and-beverage, hotel and admissions taxes in Lake and Porter counties, according to the Chicago Tribune. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun's office has been in weekly conversations with Bears leadership about the project, CBS Chicago reported.

A planned South Shore Line "Hammond Bears Stadium Connector" ending at the Wolf Lake site could give northwest suburban fans a transit option to games, though details of that plan have not been independently confirmed.

Illinois response

Bears Chairman George McCaskey called discussions with Illinois lawmakers since the board's June 5 vote to focus on Hammond "minimal." Gov. JB Pritzker, speaking at the Illinois State Fair the same morning, confirmed the Bears have not presented bill language to his administration.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson pushed back in an official statement Aug. 13, asserting the city's lakefront stadium plan remains on the table and that "the Bears belong in Chicago."

Warren said the team's requirements for an Illinois project have never changed: property tax certainty and infrastructure certainty. Neither has materialized. He noted stadium development costs are rising by nearly $150 million per year.

What it means for Park Ridge

The Bears have been headquartered at Halas Hall on Football Drive in Lake Forest since 1997, and Warren is a Lake Forest resident. The franchise will remain the "Chicago Bears" regardless of where the stadium lands, McCaskey said.

McCaskey acknowledged fan anxiety about crossing state lines but argued Hammond's proximity makes the adjustment manageable. He pointed to the Kansas City Chiefs, whose own stadium talks have included a possible state-line move.

The Bears' current lease at Soldier Field runs through 2033. The Illinois General Assembly's fall veto session, scheduled Nov. 17–19 and Dec. 1–3, represents the next window for any Illinois stadium legislation.