The Chicago Bears are continuing to make noises about moving to Indiana.
Indiana Senate Bill 27, which would provide for a state-owned stadium that the Bears would play in, has strong support from the governor and state legislature, and the Bears released a statement today saying it’s a big step in the direction of moving out of Illinois.
“The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” the Bears’ statement said. “We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana. We appreciate the leadership shown by Governor Braun, Speaker Huston, Senator Mishler and members of the Indiana General Assembly in establishing this critical framework and path forward to deliver a premier venue for all of Chicagoland and a destination for Bears fans and visitors from across the globe. We value our partnership and look forward to continuing to build our working relationship together.”
Indiana Governor Mike Braun wrote on social media on Thursday morning that his state will continue to work on getting the Bears.
“Indiana is open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears,” Braun wrote. “We’ve identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal. If approved, the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 27 puts forward the essential framework to complete this agreement, contingent upon site due diligence proceeding smoothly. The State of Indiana moves at the speed of business, and we’ve demonstrated that through our quick coordination between state agencies, local government, and the legislature to set the stage for a huge win for all Hoosiers. We have built a strong relationship with the Bears organization that will serve as the foundation for a public-private partnership, leading to the construction of a world-class stadium and a win for taxpayers.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been less enthusiastic about using taxpayer dollars to help the Bears with a new stadium in Illinois.
One of the biggest stories of the offseason will be the future of Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. And one of the most obvious potential trade destinations, if the Raiders move him, is the Bears.
Crosby has remained largely quiet at the center of the storm of speculation, fueled by comments from folks like Jay Glazer, who said during Super Bowl week that Crosby is “done” with the Raiders.
A new interview of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on Crosby’s podcast is making waves.
The quote that has drawn the most attention is this one, from Crosby to Williams at the tail end of the 68-minute episode: “Just to be open and honest, bro, like we talked about earlier, but respect at a different level, bro. You’re one of those guys, for sure, and you’re just getting started. I don’t even know you understand yet how good you can be, and that’s the scariest part. You know what I mean? Just keep that mindset, keep doing what you’re doing. You know we’re locked in forever. So keep doing your thing, bro. You need me, hit me at any time. It goes vice versa.”
The Raiders have shown no inclination to trade Crosby. If Crosby truly has no intention to play for the Raiders, their choices could be to trade him or have him essentially retire.
And there’s a pipeline that was used nearly eight years ago, when the Raiders sent disgruntled defensive end Khalil Mack to the Bears for a package headlined by two first-round picks.
Could it happen again? First, the Raiders have to decide to trade Crosby. If they do, the Bears make plenty of sense.
There was word earlier this month that the Bears would promote Press Taylor to offensive coordinator and the team made the move official on Wednesday.
Taylor joined the Bears last year as their pass game coordinator and will replace Declan Doyle after Doyle moved on to run the offense for the Ravens. Taylor was previously the offensive coordinator for the Jaguars and he has also worked for the Colts and Eagles.
The Bears also confirmed that Eric Studesville will be joining Ben Johnson’s staff as their running backs coach.
In addition to those moves, the Bears announced that they have hired Will Lawing as an offensive analyst and Isaiah Ford as an offensive quality control coach.
Success has consequences.
For a team that vaults from worst to first, it means a tougher schedule the next season. For the fans, it may mean more money to see the team play.
In Chicago, it will.
Via Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune, season tickets at Soldier Field will increase by 13.5 percent, on average, in 2026. The changes were communicated to season-ticket holders on Tuesday in a letter from Bears CEO Kevin Warren.
Warren explained that the increases resulted from “detailed analysis and market research.”
Of course, winning isn’t the only factor. Last year, season-ticket prices increased by 10 percent on average, despite the Bears finishing last in the NFC North in 2024.
Here’s the reality, as it relates to the shift from the illegal practice of ticket “scalping” to the burgeoning industry of ticket “reselling.” The teams know what the secondary market is for their tickets. If fans will pay a significant premium over face value to go to the games, it makes sense to increase the face value accordingly.
And Bears fans will show up, no matter what. A day-after-Christmas night game in 2024 toward the end of a lost season nevertheless resulted in a full stadium for a game against the Seahawks.
The Bears are about $5 million over the 2026 salary cap, and they could save about $7 million in cap space by cutting running back D’Andre Swift. That means his place on the roster this year is not safe.
But Swift hopes he’ll be a Bear this season.
“I have no idea, but hopefully I did enough for them to want me back because I know I don’t want to go anywhere else,” Swift told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I hope it plays itself out that way. I love the city, I love the coaching staff and the men that I work with. That’s out of my control, but if I had it my way, I’d be back. I don’t want to play nowhere else.”
The Bears got a good season from rookie backup running back Kyle Monangai in 2025, which could lead them to decide to make Monangai the starter in 2026 and let Swift go. But Swift thinks if anything, he could have an even bigger role next year.
“I can do more,” Swift said. “I wish I would’ve been able to contribute a little more in the passing game. We’ve got so many pass-catchers on the field, so whenever it does come up, I try to make something happen with it, but I do know I could do more.”
Swift may do more this year — in Chicago, or elsewhere.
