The Chicago Bears have moved closer than ever to playing outside Illinois after the franchise’s board of directors formally voted to advance plans for a new stadium development in Hammond, Indiana.

In the first comment from ownership officially backing a specific direction in a saga that has stretched across five years, chairman George H. McCaskey and president and CEO Kevin Warren framed the proposal as a regional project rather than a departure from Chicago.

“We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighbourhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city,” their joint statement claimed. “It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”

While the exact location in Hammond has yet to be chosen, the vote represented a notable escalation in the ongoing debate. Previous announcements had centred on studies and evaluations, but this was the first occasion on which the Bears’ board had approved any stadium site. Only days earlier, Illinois lawmakers adjourned without advancing legislation that would have enabled Arlington Heights and Chicago to create stadium authorities, a mechanism designed to provide long-term property tax certainty. A late push to revive an Illinois solution collapsed during the final hours of the spring legislative session, leaving the Bears to continue weighing Hammond against the 326-acre Arlington Heights property they purchased from Churchill Downs for $197m.

Warren’s arrival from the Big Ten in 2023 has been integral in reshaping the project. After inheriting plans for a $5bn development in Arlington Heights, Warren initially pivoted towards a domed stadium on Chicago’s Museum Campus adjacent to Soldier Field. That proposal won support from mayor Brandon Johnson but failed to generate enthusiasm from governor JB Pritzker or the state legislature, prompting the focus to shift back to Arlington Heights before Indiana emerged as a serious contender.

Indiana officials wasted little time embracing the opportunity. Governor Mike Braun and lawmakers established a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority earlier this year, providing a framework for financing and construction. Reports have suggested the state could support infrastructure and incentives approaching $1bn, while the Bears have repeatedly stressed their willingness to contribute approximately $2bn towards construction costs.

Not everyone in Illinois believes the matter is settled, however. Mayor Johnson stressed that the announcement does not amount to a binding commitment and maintained that the city remains in the conversation. Several state lawmakers also characterised the latest development as just another phase in a lengthy process rather than a final decision. The Bears have played in Chicago since 1921, albeit originally as the Decatur Staleys, but have never owned their own stadium. A could change across state lines.