February 19, 2026

RUN TO DAYLIGHT: Chicago Bears are ‘committed’ to Indiana move. Here’s what would need to happen.

There is now a “shared commitment” to bring the Chicago Bears to Indiana.

Indiana lawmakers announced Feb. 19 that they’ve struck a deal to potentially locate the football team’s new stadium in northwest Indiana, pending the passage of a bill that provides the framework for a financial package and any due diligence at the proposed Hammond site. This comes nearly two months to the day from the team president’s fateful letter that sparked breathless negotiations.

“It represents a transformational investment for northwest Indiana and our state,” House Speaker Todd Huston told the House ways and means committee, sharing that the Chicago Bears are willing to invest $2 billion in a stadium site in the region.

Indiana lawmakers, too, in the form of Senate Bill 27, have outlined a set of investment promises from the state, Lake and Porter counties to bring the stadium to fruition.

“The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” the Bears said in a statement. “We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.”

Presumably, the Bears will keep their Chicago moniker, in the same way that the Jets and Giants are considered “New York” teams, despite playing in a stadium in New Jersey, and the Cowboys have always been the Dallas Cowboys, despite playing outside of the city since 1971, in first Irving, and then Arlington, Texas.

In any case, will the last person to flee the Second City please turn out the lights?

Posted at 1:22 pm by Ed Driscoll