Kevin Warren makes Bears' stadium priority clear in latest update

Warren provided another update on the Bears' stadium plans Thursday, acknowledging that the organization continues to have some communication with the state of Illinois while making it clear where Chicago's attention is currently focused.

According to the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs, Warren said the Bears have held "occasional meetings with the state of Illinois."

But the organization's priority remains building what Warren described as a "world-class stadium and mixed-use development" in Northwest Indiana.

Northwest Indiana remains the Bears' stadium priority

The Bears spent years trying to make an Illinois stadium work, with Arlington Heights emerging as the presumed destination after the organization purchased the 326-acre former Arlington International Racecourse property.

As recently as April, Warren said the Bears were evaluating Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana, with the expectation that the organization would eventually settle on a preferred location.

In June, Bears chairman George McCaskey and Warren announced that the team's board of directors had voted to advance its stadium development project in Hammond, with the exact site still to be determined. Thursday's update suggests little has changed about that priority.

The Bears are still talking with Illinois, so an in-state solution hasn't necessarily been eliminated. But "occasional meetings" sounds considerably different from the language the organization is using about Indiana.

Warren's pursuit of a new home has taken plenty of turns since he became Bears president and CEO in 2023. Arlington Heights once appeared to be the obvious solution. The organization then pursued a lakefront stadium before eventually broadening its search again.

Now, Northwest Indiana sits at the front of the line.

The Bears have insisted the Indiana pursuit isn't simply a negotiating tactic designed to create leverage with Illinois, and their actions have increasingly backed up that position.

The board's vote to advance the Hammond project represented a tangible step toward potentially moving the franchise across state lines. Warren is now once again publicly identifying Northwest Indiana as the organization's focus.

George McCaskey says they'll remain the Chicago Bears

If the Bears ultimately do cross the state line, one thing won't be changing: their name.

McCaskey made that clear Thursday when asked whether an Indiana stadium could result in the franchise dropping "Chicago" from its identity.

"No," McCaskey said. "We will be the Chicago Bears whether we'll be in Arlington [Heights] or in Hammond."

It's a worthwhile clarification as the possibility of an Indiana move becomes increasingly realistic.

NFL teams playing outside the city included in their name is hardly unusual. The New York Giants and Jets both play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, while other franchises have stadiums located outside the borders of the cities they represent.

Bears still have a long way to go before leaving Soldier Field

There are still plenty of hurdles before anyone starts packing up Soldier Field.

A stadium project of this magnitude requires land, infrastructure, financing, governmental cooperation, and a long list of approvals before construction can begin. The Bears haven't announced a final stadium site in Hammond, much less broken ground.

And the fact that conversations with Illinois continue leaves at least some possibility that circumstances could change again.

If we've learned anything from the Bears' stadium saga, it's that nothing should be considered final until shovels are actually in the ground. But Thursday produced two fairly definitive messages from the organization's leadership.

And whether the Bears ultimately land in Hammond or stay in Illinois, they'll still be the Chicago Bears.