As lawmakers in Indiana announced Thursday that the Chicago Bears could leave Illinois altogether and build a new home in Hammond, in Indiana’s Lake County, rival fans erupted and took a dig at the franchise.
The Bears have long been planning to move out of their home stadium, Soldier Field in Chicago. Amid the lookout for a new place to build a home, on Thursday, lawmakers in Indiana announced that they are in talks with the franchise to finalize a new deal in which the Chicago Bears would move to Hammond.
However, at this time, the relocation is far from finalized, Indiana Governor Mike Braun said in a statement said on X. “We have built a strong relationship with the Bears organization that will serve as the foundation for a public-private partnership, leading to the construction of a world-class stadium and a win for taxpayers,” he said, adding that both parties are discussing the “framework for a possible deal.”
However, the move left rivals of the Chicago Bears in splits. Many thought about whether they would change their name to ‘Hammond Bears’, given that they are planning to leave Chicago and Illinois.
“Indiana Bears? The #Bears released a statement reaffirming their intent to continue pursuing a new stadium project in Hammond, Indiana,” NFL Insider Ari Meirov wrote.
“Hammond Bears have zero Super Bowls btw,” joked one user.
“Chicago bears becoming the Hammond bears, that sounds disgusting,” said another.
“The only thing good about the Hammond Bears is going to Calumet fisheries after every game,” joked another.
Why The Bears Want To Move Out Of Soldier Field
As mentioned before, the Bears have been planning to move out of Soldier Field for a while now. Their initial plan to build a stadium in Cook County, Illinois, stalled after they failed to reach a deal with Illinois authorities on a $900 million public funding package and tax breaks for the stadium.
Also read: Chicago Bears make major move after confirming Wolf Lake-Hammond stadium plans
Back on December 17, 2025, the Bears president, Kevin Warren, released a letter alleging that the city authorities were not showing what he described as a “sense of urgency” on the matter.
“We have been told directly by state leadership our project will not be a priority in 2026,” Warren said. “Consequently, in addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana.”
“This is not about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. … Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day. With that in mind, our organization must keep every credible pathway open to deliver that future.”
The plan to possibly move out of Illinois to Indiana was laid out in the letter. However, many at that time thought that the franchise would not really move out of Illinois. But, with Thursday’s update, it seems that a move to Indiana could very much be on the cards for Kevin Warren and co.