SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- It's far from a done deal, but the Chicago Bears are officially exploring Northwest Indiana for the site of their new stadium.
As the famous song goes "Bear down, Chicago Bears, make every play, clear the way to...Northwest Indiana?
One of the oldest football franchises in the National Football League has been in search of a new home for some time.
The Bears, who currently play at Soldier Field right off Lake Michigan, had their sights set on Arlington Park in Arlington Heights in the city's northwest suburbs, but are now expanding their search.
In a letter to Bears fans on social media Wednesday, team president and CEO Kevin Warren saying "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."
Warren also said in the letter that he and the Bears organization were told by Illinois state leadership that the team's new stadium would not be a priority in 2026.
The news of the possibility has a local tourism board very excited.
"Game changer in the sense of being relevant and having the words South Bend or St. Joseph County or Indiana or northern Indiana or whatever the case may be on a broadcast every Sunday in the fall and throughout the winter, the occasional Thursday, the occasional Monday, that sort of thing, completely additive, complete game changer to our community," said Jeff Jarnecke, executive director of Visit South Bend/Mishawaka.
Indiana governor Mike Braun also chiming in, posting on X Wednesday night "The Chicago Bears recognize Indiana’s pro-business climate, and I am ready to work with them to build a new stadium in northwest Indiana. This move would deliver a major economic boost, create jobs, and bring another premier NFL franchise to the Hoosier state. Let’s get it done."
While there is no sign the new home for the Monsters of the Midway would be in Joseph County, Jarnecke says even the potential idea screams great news for the region.
"The idea that we could layer on top of University of Notre Dame, and 5 other colleges and universities in our community, of a pro team, and I think it's not just football that at that point, I think you can do concerts, I think you can do mixed use, I think there's the retail component and the housing component, the entertainment district component," said Jarnecke.
Jarnecke also pointed out Indiana formed a commission this fall to try and lure professional sports entities to northwest Indiana, especially out of Chicago.