City mayor Brandon Johnson has added further uncertainty to the Chicago Bears’ stadium saga after moving to block Illinois legislation that could help the franchise build its proposed new domed stadium in Arlington Heights.

The Bears have been pushing for a new fixed-roof stadium and mixed-use development on the 326-acre former site of Arlington International Racecourse but, while the suburban plan had appeared to be gaining traction, Johnson has now urged Chicago lawmakers to oppose the so-called ‘megaprojects’ legislation currently before the Illinois Senate.

According to Sports Business Journal reporter Ben Fischer, Johnson has promised to use ‘whatever political muscle he has’ to stop the bill, arguing that Chicago legislators should not support a measure designed to help the Bears leave the city.

“I don’t know why any Chicago legislator would vote for anything that doesn’t benefit the people they represent,” Johnson said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The legislation, known as Illinois House Bill 910, would allow qualifying large-scale developments — including the Bears’ Arlington Heights stadium project — to negotiate long-term property tax arrangements with local jurisdictions. WBEZ previously reported that the Illinois House passed the bill by a 78-32 vote in April, but the proposal still requires approval from the Illinois Senate.

Johnson’s opposition matters because the Bears are no longer publicly framing Chicago itself as a live stadium option. The franchise has instead identified Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana, as the two principal paths under consideration. Sports Business Journal noted that, unless the Bears are engaged in an elaborate negotiating strategy, Johnson’s effort to block Arlington Heights may not reopen talks over a Chicago stadium at all, but may simply push the Bears closer to crossing state lines.

The mayor continues to insist that the Bears should remain in Chicago, and has referenced other possible city sites, but both Sports Business Journal and the Chicago Sun-Times both report that Johnson has not provided specific details of a viable alternative. Previously discussed options include a former Amtrak facility near the proposed mixed-use site named The 78, as well as the stalled One Central development near Soldier Field and the former Michael Reese Hospital site, but none has become a formal replacement for the Bears’ abandoned lakefront stadium plan unveiled in 2024 by president and chief executive officer Kevin Warren. That plan, launched with Johnson in attendance, called for a new domed stadium near Soldier Field, but required significant public support and failed to gain sufficient backing in state capital Springfield. Since then, the Bears have increasingly turned back toward Arlington Heights, where the franchise already owns the former racetrack land.

Indiana, meanwhile, has made a direct play for the franchise, with governor Mike Braun signing legislation in February authorising funding mechanisms for a potential Bears stadium on a site near Wolf Lake in Hammond. Fox 32 Chicago has reported that Indiana House lawmakers had approved Senate Bill 27 by a 95-4 vote before Braun signed the measure.

The Bears have treated that Indiana option as serious. Associated Press reporting has described the situation as ‘a growing battle’ between the neighbouring states, with Hammond offering the Bears a potential route to a modern domed stadium roughly 25 miles from Chicago, while Illinois lawmakers attempt to keep the team in-state through property-tax legislation tied to Arlington Heights.

Johnson’s intervention has therefore created a political contradiction. The Chicago mayor is trying to stop the Bears moving to suburban Arlington Heights, but the practical effect could be to make Hammond more attractive if Illinois lawmakers fail to deliver a workable stadium framework before the end of the spring legislative session.

The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971, but the franchise has repeatedly argued that the Chicago Park District-owned stadium no longer provides the infrastructure, access or revenue-generating opportunities required for a modern NFL operation. Despite being renovated in 2001, Soldier Field remains the NFL’s smallest stadium by capacity and has long been viewed as a limiting factor for one of the league’s most valuable franchises.

For now, the Bears’ decision remains stuck between local politics and state incentives, and with no fully formed stadium plan capable of bringing them back to the negotiating table.