Calm down (Updated x2)
Thursday, Feb 19, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From what I’ve gathered so far, this is just not true…
I’m told the Bears committed to doing some due diligence on that project, but Indiana politicos love being anti-Illinois trolls. Notice that there’s no finality in this statement, and the Indy governor confirms that the team has only committed to due diligence on this site. Nothing further…
Same from the Bears. Nothing definitive…
* This is also false. Rep. Tarver, I’m told by the House Democrats, is in town…
* A decision was made last night to postpone today’s hearing because Rep. Canty’s House Bill 2789 isn’t the same as the legislation the governor has been negotiating. That’s it. They need an amendment. This statement is being disputed somewhat, but the bottom line is that the sportscasters are getting out over their skis…
Patience.
…Adding… On background, the House Democrats back up the governor’s office claim that the Bears requested a hearing postponement. The leaders are now waiting to hear from Bears leadership this morning. Also, Tarver could be gone, but that happened after the hearing was canceled.
…Adding… Gov. Pritzker was asked about this during an unrelated Metro East event today…
Well, let me start with the fact that it was a surprise to us. The Bears, actually yesterday, we completed more than three hours, my team did of discussions with the Bears, very positive discussions. And indeed, mostly agreed on a bill that would move forward this morning.
But they asked us not to move forward with it this morning because they said they wanted to tweak a little, a couple of items in the bill, which were things that we were working with them on.
And so to have a statement put out by the Bears. Now they’re saying to us that that statement is not some confirmation that they’re moving to Indiana, but rather that Indiana had asked them to say that, you know, they’re going to move forward with the negotiations in Indiana.
But I have to say it’s very disappointing to hear that they would put that statement out but not say anything about the advancement that’s been made in the state of Illinois. But you know, we’re waiting to hear from the Bears what they’d like to do next.
It was more than tweaks. It’s a substantially different bill than what’s assigned to committee.
I just got off the phone with a Bears insider who asked to be quoted saying, “Governor Pritzker’s office is 100 percent bending over backwards to try and get a deal.”
* Pritzker also said that he wants a commitment for affordability…
We need to make sure that we’re building into this affordability for people, so that they can maybe afford to go to a game or afford to pay for things at the game. We want to make sure that that we’re protecting the consumers and taxpayers of the state.
* More…
We have made a lot of advancement in that conversation with them. So again, I’m surprised, dismayed, very disappointed at what I saw in a statement. Again, the Bears post that have said, well, we didn’t really mean that they’re moving to Indiana, which is kind of the implication of it, but it’s apparently not true. […]
[Bears CEO Kevin Warren] chose not to be in that meeting. And indeed, they had instead one of their other leads, who’s been in every conversation with us as well. She’s a terrific representative for them, and you know, we trust her. And we had eight people in that discussion, involving the legislators, involving the governor’s office, involving the Bears and their representatives, and so again, lots of progress, but a surprise this morning to wake up and see that statement. […]
We are waiting to hear from the Bears what they’d like to do next, because they essentially stopped things in their tracks until we hear more.
- Save Ferris - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:05 am:
LOL. The $2 billion is the same they committed to in AH. It’s the amount they can borrow ($800 million NFL standard debt cap) plus another $1.2 billion in debt (assuming the NFL approves an overage for them which is likely).
Nothing has changed.
- Remember the Alamo II - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:07 am:
Sports talk radio and television programs have evolved over the years to mirror the cable news networks like CNN and Fox News. They need to stir up controversy in order to maintain listeners and viewers of their infotainment programming. They need to stay in their own lane.
- Not Again - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:08 am:
Bears truly can screw up everything. This extends their self-inflicted stupidity streak to 4 years. If they thought this strategy was a good idea, its time for changes at the top of that organization.
- Leap Day William - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:11 am:
I’m not believing a thing until I see shovels in the ground, and even then I’ll remain skeptical until kickoff of the first game in whatever stadium gets built.
- Annon'in - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:13 am:
All pretty funny stuff. Happy the team had a decent season. Still waitin’ for details on full payments for their remodel of Soldiers Field, how much empty office space is with 2-3 miles of their AH MegaProject and how much they will pay for destroyin’ horse racing.
- Scoot - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:13 am:
Ah the drama…I’m going to predict this ends with an exciting twist just like several of the bears come from behind wins this season. I’m saying the bears will build on the Michael Reese site and remain on the city’s lakefront! Beardown!
- Think Again - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:22 am:
=Drama=
Bears are rightly playing the leverage game as the clock ticks down - Illinois legislators should be used to that tactic. Hoping for a new stadium in AH, but since I’m lucky to get to one game every few years, I wouldn’t mind the drive to NW Indy.
- Jocko - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:24 am:
==Bears will commit $2 billion to a stadium project==
Lemme guess. Is it a pledge, a promise, handshake, or pinky swear? Ask AH what a bears commitment is worth.
- Alton Sinkhole - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:24 am:
Gotta love the journalist sneaking in whining about having to go to Springfield. It’s your job, ma’am.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:27 am:
Sports yappers don’t know much about football itself let alone politics. A few months ago Hoge and his partner held a big Breaking News Podcast! so a nameless fired Bears coach could launder his Caleb Williams character assassination through Hoge & Jahns to excuse his incompetence and justify his failures in light of the new coaching staff being demonstrably more competent.
It’s like watching toddlers try to talk current events.
- Steve - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:28 am:
-I’m saying the bears will build on the Michael Reese -
Good luck with that one and I say this as someone who was born at Michael Reese.
- Northsider - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:32 am:
I heard David Haugh this morning practically soil himself over this on The Score and. Being a CapFax Blog reader, I figured it was something procedural like this. Calm down, indeed.
- Rudy’s teeth - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:33 am:
To refresh everyone’s memory, NWI also called The Region is referred to as the Armpit of the Nation.
So the Bears leave Illinois and the lakefront to relocate to a toxic, polluted wasteland. Enjoy the smokestacks, folks.
- New Day - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:36 am:
Calm down indeed. So much hysteria at this point. Everyone seems to want to write the Illinois screwed this up story but it’s not true and it’s not even clear how this ends. My money remains with the Bears staying.
- Emanuel Collective - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:37 am:
Don’t disagree that many of these reports are overreactions; however, the Sun-Times’s story quotes “A Bears spokesman said “Hammond is the site we are focused on. Work to be done.”
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:40 am:
===however, the Sun-Times’s story quotes “A Bears spokesman===
Yeah, well, I ain’t buying it yet. There’s more going on here.
- The Farm Grad - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:42 am:
Candlestick Park to Levi’s Stadium: 30 miles.
Still the San Francisco 49ers.
Soldier Field to Hammaond: 20 miles.
Still the Chicago Bears.
And if the new stadium were to host a SB, 90% of the visitors would still stay in downtown Chicago
Upshot: Illinois taxpayers would be better off if the Bears moved to Hammond
- Homebody - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:53 am:
Meanwhile, Ian Rappaport is tweeting/blueskying (what do we call a bluesky tweet? A bleet? A skeet?) breathlessly reporting Bears propaganda, causing a mild panic on the r/nfl subreddit.
The more I have learned about the functioning of state governments over the past few decades, the more I’ve realized how bad national writers in any industry are bad at understanding or communicating about local issues.
- B - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:54 am:
If the bears move I and many other people I know will stop being fans.
The money the bears are after is in the north amd nw suburbs. Many of them will choose not to travel to a broken down polluted waste land. The inhabitants of this wasteland are not wealthy and will not be buying up those suites.
The bears are stupid, but are they really this stupid? Not to mention being so far away from the major airports.
- hisgirlfriday - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:55 am:
The Bears announcing they are jacking up season ticket prices 13.5% told me everything I needed to know. The McCaskeys are greedheads and they will go to whatever stadium location is going to line their pockets the most and that is Indiana. Maybe Virginia cared about the Bears being the pride and joy of Illinois but this generation? Nope. Her being dead allowed the younger family members to sell out tradition for cash. They should change the jerseys to say G$H.
I think the Bears had already decided to move to Indiana last fall and lied to Illinois politicians and the public that staying in Illinois was being considered as leverage to squeeze more money out of Indiana.
With the Indiana vote and Illinois GA hearing being cancelled at the behest of the Bears, Kevin Warren orchestrated his revenge on Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly he so harshly criticized in his initial statement about Indiana being in the mix for the stadium. And he implemented such revenge in the middle of voting season. Did not know he had it in him to navigate the politics do deftly but he was way more shrewd than I ever gave him credit for.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 10:57 am:
“NWI also called The Region is referred to as the Armpit of the Nation.” Having lived there for what was actually a year but seemed like a decade, I can agree with this. A nice cool breeze off the lake brings with it the fresh aroma of industry. And don’t forget the lake effect snow.
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:04 am:
Let’s see how it all plays out. But I still think they end up in AH…
- 48th Ward Heel - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:06 am:
“We want to be where our ticketholders are, and our research has determined that’s the Northwest Suburbs.”
*goes off in the opposite direction*
“We want to own our stadium grounds, and so we’ve bought this large parcel.”
*negotiates for a leased property*
“This site needs serious infrastructure upgrades, and we don’t want to pay for that.”
*selects site on a marsh*
This very well may be just another installment of The Bear Who Cried Wolf, but honestly at this point I feel nothing either way. Bye [banned punctuation]
- Save Ferris - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:08 am:
“A Bears spokesman said “Hammond is the site we are focused on. Work to be done.”
That’s gotta be a truncated quote. Hammond is the site they are focusing on… over AH? Of the three proposed sites in Indiana? Above all else? Meaningless.
“Illinois taxpayers would be better off if the Bears moved to Hammond”
Yes. But the McCaskey’s won’t be as better than if they owned the building and not a government entity. THAT is what they really want: Ownership. None of the IN sites offer that.
- Proud Papa Bear - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:17 am:
For those trying to keep track, the order has been:
Arlington Heights
Chicago
Arlington Heights
Indiana
Arlington Heights
Indiana
- Regular democrat - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:26 am:
Hisgirlfriday just covered it perfectly. Life will go on civic pride will take a hit for a while and the governor will take some arrows for letting the bears go to Indiana. If i lived in Hegewisch i would be ecstatic. Every Sunday the Bears fans will tune in. They’ll be sold out and they’ll still have a waiting list for season tickets.
- Former Downstater - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:38 am:
I don’t think either side (Bears or Indiana) plan on actually having the Bears build a stadium in Indiana.
Instead, the Bears are using it for leverage, as many have said. Indiana, on the other hand, is using it as an opportunity to sell themselves to teams who might be interested in relocating.
The bill after all is a “framework to build a sports stadium in the area.” Nothing says that framework has to be to build a stadium for the Bears.
What is also true is Chicago is largest city without two NFL teams. The idea of having a second team in the Chicago market could thus be enticing to a team looking to relocate.
- Think Again - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:48 am:
= Not to mention being so far away from the major airports=
The Gary/Chicago International Airport is 10 miles from the proposed Wolf Lake site in Hammond, Indiana. This airport already regularly handles larger aircraft (757s and A300s) for freight/cargo operations. With a new stadium, team charters, and eventually, passenger carriers could use the facility. In fact, they are actively upgrading terminals, hoping for commercial passenger service in 2026.
- Joseph M - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:48 am:
I’ll never forget this hilarious line from Kevin Warren: “This is not about leverage.”
- Dirty Red - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:50 am:
Proud Papa, is that timeline from this century or are you going back to when the Bears first considered Arlington Park in 1970 when they needed to move from Wrigley? The Bears have yet to call a trick play.
- Tom - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:52 am:
The Bears’ interest in Indiana is very real. This is not a fire drill. It could very well happen, or not, but to think it’s just leverage would be wrong. I, for one, think in the long run if they leave, it will be a huge stain on the politicians that let it happen. You may think differently.
- Old IL Dude - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:53 am:
The Bears could field the least talented bunch of bumblers (as they have over the past 10 years), led by coaches who haven’t a clue (likewise), and play in a rickety, freezing cold bare-bones stadium and still make boo-koo bucks. And I’ll still watch.
- Marty Funkhouser - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:53 am:
This whole thing is: Tell me you’ve never covered the Illinois statehouse without telling me you’ve never covered the Illinois statehouse.
- Bears Fan - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 12:20 pm:
At the end of the day the Bears will end up in Arlington Heights with PILOT
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 12:22 pm:
Laurence Holmes and Matt Spiegel said something that is true - it’s a large television studio.
The Governor’s office is clearly frustrated and I don’t blame them.
George McCaskey will not win this press conference if they leave.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 12:27 pm:
Some people have a financial incentive to suck the drama hookah.
- Southsider - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 12:31 pm:
I’m shock that more details haven’t been leaked about the bill. Not even costs. It’s a shame emotion is leading this process. Call there bluff.
- NIU Grad - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 12:37 pm:
“In fact, they are actively upgrading terminals, hoping for commercial passenger service in 2026.”
Having people and teams fly in for a few games is one thing. Having an airport with the bandwidth to support Super Bowl-level traffic is another.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 12:54 pm:
If I were a gambler, I would bet on AH. I don’t gamble though.
As a lifelong Bears fan I simply do not care what they do as long as Illinois taxpayers are not on the hook for billions to build a new stadium for a team worth billions. Infrastructure? Sure. That is what states and local municipalities do. Property tax breaks? No.
If they go to Indiana< I probably will never attend a game there, but I just don’t care for Indiana and don’t attend many games these days anyway. They won’t miss me.
- Overbay - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 12:55 pm:
I love the passive aggressive swipe at Warren. Given how he has treated this process from day one when he appeared with Mayor Johnson without talking to the state, he deserves it.
- Victor - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 1:03 pm:
It’s 10 games a year. Let em go.
Most fans watch on TV anyway.
- Hot Taeks - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 1:23 pm:
The Wolf Lake site seems pretty polluted so that’s Illinois’ best leverage against Indiana at the moment ha
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 1:45 pm:
Maybe the Bears will buy a boat to get the team and staff to Indiana from Lake Forest. That has to be better than the tollway. Incentives aside, I don’t see the Bears making the move to the Hoosier state and I think Indiana’s pols are slightly less credible than the Bears.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 1:47 pm:
As far as giving all these little heirs and heiresses millions in public money, go have fun in Indiana. Don’t let the door hit ya.
Zero reason to cave to an entertainment company that almost always puts out a terrible product.
- JB13 - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 1:48 pm:
I’m sure the governor will love seeing the retrospective story in all this when the new Bears Indiana stadium gets the Super Bowl in a few years.
I’m sure he’ll be made to look like a sympathetic figure betrayed by the evil, bad faith Bears.
Sure sure
- Friendly Bob Adams - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 1:59 pm:
Love this language: (we have) established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal…
That is, we have no deal, we’re not close to a deal, but we want you to think otherwise
- Center Drift - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 2:01 pm:
Time to say goodbye to the Bears in Illinois unless they want to pay for their stadium and infrastructure. Speaking as just a working guy, “not one red cent to the Bears!”
- Waldi - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 2:04 pm:
As a local resident who lives roughly 3 miles from the proposed Arlington Park site – I’m hoping for Indiana. I just don’t want to deal with all the traffic and the crowds.
- The Farm Grad - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 2:11 pm:
“when the new Bears Indiana stadium gets the Super Bowl in a few years.”…and 90%+ of out-of-state visitors/media stay in downtown Chicago
- Wolfy - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 2:16 pm:
I was in Springfield yesterday. I saw Tarver walking around. He could’ve left, but he was there this week.
- thunderspirit - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 2:18 pm:
== how much they will pay for destroyin’ horse racing ==
I mean, Churchill Downs Inc., who previously owned Arlington, announced it was ending racing there in 2019, nearly four years before the Bears closed on the property. I don’t see much point in blaming the Bears for what the previous owners decided.
- btowntruthfromforgottonia - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 2:30 pm:
Too late.
Twitter is screaming and Pritzker haters are yelling about how they think he lost the Bears to Indiana.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 2:36 pm:
==m sure the governor will love seeing the retrospective story in all this when the new Bears Indiana stadium gets the Super Bowl in a few years.
Or he’ll be seen as one of the leaders who slowed the tendency of giving billionaires public money.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 2:44 pm:
===sure the governor will love seeing the retrospective story in all this when the new Bears Indiana stadium gets the Super Bowl in a few years.===
It will be as well watched as “Melania”.
- Pundent - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 3:43 pm:
Lots of ridiculous hand-wringing. The Bears made their intentions clear when they bought the Arlington Heights site. Building there is in the teams best short and long term interest. The value of the franchise will be dramatically different when the team owns their stadium in Arlington Heights vs. leasing one in Hammond next to the BP refinery. This has always been about increasing the wealth of the McCaskey family so they can reap additional billions when they decide to sell.
- Boone Logan Square - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 4:16 pm:
Whatever allows Illinois taxpayers to avoid paying the McCaskey family is fine by me.
- ChicagoVinny - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 4:19 pm:
My position is the same if Indiana taxpayers want to foot the bill fine let them.
Pretty clear the Governor doesn’t hold Kevin Warren in high regard from that statement.
- Tim - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 4:25 pm:
47th Ward - nobodies politicians are leas credible than Illinois.
- Tim - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 4:32 pm:
Tim - I should correct my typing. Other than maybe Washington DC, there are no politicians on the planet less credible than the ones from Illinois.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 4:46 pm:
Thanks Tim. Did you not read Rich’s comment in the post:
“I’m told the Bears committed to doing some due diligence on that project, but Indiana politicos love being anti-Illinois trolls. Notice that there’s no finality in this statement, and the Indy governor confirms that the team has only committed to due diligence on this site. Nothing further…”
Are you really saying you believe the Bears are seriously considering moving to IN? Credibility is one thing, but gullibility is another.
- Sue - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 4:50 pm:
The only certain winner is JB’s $1400 an hour stadium lawyer- is it too late to hire him on a contingency
- Rudy’s teeth - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 4:52 pm:
.So the Bears want to relocate to the backyard of the world’s largest refinery in Hammond. Such a scenic view awaits fans.
- Roadrager - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 5:29 pm:
==- 48th Ward Heel - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 11:06 am:
“We want to be where our ticketholders are, and our research has determined that’s the Northwest Suburbs.”
*goes off in the opposite direction*
“We want to own our stadium grounds, and so we’ve bought this large parcel.”
*negotiates for a leased property*
“This site needs serious infrastructure upgrades, and we don’t want to pay for that.”
*selects site on a marsh*
This very well may be just another installment of The Bear Who Cried Wolf, but honestly at this point I feel nothing either way. Bye [banned punctuation]==
This says all that needs to be said. Would the McCaskeys be dumb enough to take a stadium that offers none of their declared must-haves just to save some money on the front end and rub it in the face of the elected officials who are only willing to give them some of them?
Having watched this franchise in operation from 1986 onward, I can absolutely and definitively say yes, they would do that. And that is why the state of Illinois should not give these goobers a dime. Let them be Indiana’s problem, and then Indiana can find out in short order that what’s good for the Bears better also be good for the Colts.
Guys like Hoge should just make it official and have the Bears sign their checks.
- Casper the Ghost Bus - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 5:33 pm:
If the Bears move to Hammond, maybe the refinery could re-locate to Arlington Heights.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 5:37 pm:
=Other than maybe Washington DC, there are no politicians on the planet less credible than the ones from Illinois.=
Most politicians in DC are not from DC. For example, Trump and Patel are from NY.
- Proud Papa Bear - Thursday, Feb 19, 26 @ 6:22 pm:
“This is not a fire drill.”
You’re right. It’s much less important. We have many problems in this state but helping billionaires get a slightly newer stadium isn’t one of them.
- Ruth Dakin - Friday, Feb 20, 26 @ 8:21 am:
===sure the governor will love seeing the retrospective story in all this when the new Bears Indiana stadium gets the Super Bowl in a few years.===
With only a 60,000 seat capacity? Not big enough for a Super Bowl
- Just a guy - Friday, Feb 20, 26 @ 10:25 am:
Worst case, the Speaker could always pause the clock at 11:59 p.m. and leave it there for a few hours if a deal is to be had. I mean, there’s precedence…