Roger Goodell toured proposed Bears stadium sites, including several in Indiana, before their playoff win vs. Packers
- - Roger Goodell toured proposed Bears stadium sites, including several in Indiana, before their playoff win vs. Packers
Ryan YoungJanuary 12, 2026 at 6:15 PM
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made a few pitstops in the Chicago suburbs before arriving at Soldier Field on Saturday night.
Goodell visited the 326-acre piece of land that the Bears are considering building a new stadium on in Arlington Heights, Illinois, on Saturday before he attended the team’s wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers, according to Front Office Sports. Goodell visited the site with Bears chairman George McCaskey and team president and CEO Kevin Warren.
The trip, per the report, was part of “ongoing due diligence” that the team is conducting as part of its quest for a new stadium.
The Bears first purchased the land in Arlington Heights — which sits about 30 miles northeast of Soldier Field — in 2023 and have been pushing to build a $5 billion domed venue to replace Soldier Field. There have been other proposals that have been floated, including a new lakefront stadium near Soldier Field that would have cost taxpayers about $2 billion. There have been other efforts to try and renovate Soldier Field, too.
The Bears played their first games at Soldier Field back in 1926 and have been full-time tenants at the venue for more than 50 years. The stadium is the smallest in the league by capacity.
Last month, Warren sent a letter to season-ticket holders telling them that he’s been told by Illinois state leaders that their stadium project won’t be a priority in 2026. So, the Bears expanded their search for a stadium in the greater Chicago area. Remarkably, that included Northwest Indiana. While that wouldn’t be completely out of the ordinary — the New York Giants and New York Jets share a stadium in New Jersey, for example — the idea of the Bears leaving the state was met with plenty of criticism, and humor.
Don’t mind us, just seeing how this looks. CC: @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/jR5pCnnUir
— Fort Wayne, Indiana (@CityofFortWayne) December 22, 2025
Goodell also visited “multiple proposed sites” in Northwest Indiana before the game, too, according to both Front Office Sports and Fox’s Paris Schutz.
While it’s unknown how real the threat of the Bears moving to Indiana actually is, it’s apparently real enough that Warren and the team’s leadership are willing to take Goodell on a tour of the region.
When the Bears end up moving to a new stadium, or where that ends up being, is still anybody’s guess. But clearly, Warren is still focused on finally getting a new stadium deal done and in motion.
Source: “AOL Sports”
