Naperville, Waukegan, Aurora, Gary: The Towns That Pitched the Bears

Author’s note: I gathered the information in this post from public reporting, government documents and public records about the 2023 suburban pitches and Gary’s 2026 bid. It reflects what was known as of October 30, 2026. Sources are linked at the bottom. If you spot an error or have a tip, please let me know. — Joe Bjorklund

Arlington Heights hasn’t been the only suburb that wanted the Bears. In June 2023, when a property tax dispute over Arlington Park threatened to blow up the deal, several other towns sent letters inviting the team to look at them. In January 2026, Gary, Indiana made a splashier pitch with renderings. None of these went anywhere, but they’re part of how the Bears built leverage, and they’re worth knowing about.

What triggered the 2023 pitches

After the Bears bought Arlington Park, the Cook County Assessor’s office valued the land far higher than the old racetrack had been taxed. Reporting at the time said the bill could jump from about $2.8 million to roughly $16 million. In late June 2023, Bears president Kevin Warren said the team had been focused only on Arlington Park, but that the stalemate meant it would look at other options. Other suburbs took the hint.

Naperville

Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli sent a letter in June 2023 and met with the Bears. His pitch leaned on Naperville’s interstate access, Metra service and several available parcels. Naperville is the one 2023 suburb where the team clearly took a meeting. It faded once the Bears returned their attention to Arlington Heights and the Chicago lakefront.

Waukegan

Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor pitched multiple large parcels along Lake Michigan, noting that one was within about 20 minutes of Halas Hall, the team’s Lake Forest headquarters. A lakefront site in Lake County would have avoided Chicago’s public trust fight, but nothing came of it.

Aurora

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin sent his own letter in late June 2023. The city said the Bears responded quickly and positively, but there’s no public record of the team pursuing Aurora further.

Romeoville: unconfirmed

You’ll sometimes see Romeoville listed among the suburbs that pitched the Bears. I couldn’t find a reliable source confirming a formal Romeoville pitch, so I’m treating it as unconfirmed.

Gary, Indiana’s 2026 bid

After the Bears said in December 2025 that they would look at Northwest Indiana, Gary moved quickly. In January 2026 the city released renderings for three possible sites:

Gary West End, near the Hard Rock Casino
Buffington Harbor, a lakefront industrial site
Miller Beach, near the Indiana Dunes

Mayor Eddie Melton framed it as building a dynasty, not just a building. Goodell toured prospective sites with team officials during his January visit. The Bears and Gary had even explored a stadium together once before, back in 1994.

Gary lost out to its neighbor. Indiana’s SB 27, signed February 26, 2026, created the stadium authority in Hammond, and the Bears’ later site work has focused on Hammond’s Lost Marsh and Wolf Lake Terminal parcels.

Why they all faded

In hindsight, the 2023 suburban letters mostly served as leverage in the Arlington Heights tax fight. Once the Bears and Arlington Heights reached a tentative tax deal in November 2024, the team had no reason to keep those conversations going. None was revived in 2025 or 2026.

Town	When	What they offered	Status
Naperville	June 2023	Interstate and Metra access, several parcels; mayor met the team	Dormant
Waukegan	June 2023	Large Lake Michigan parcels near Halas Hall	Dormant
Aurora	June 2023	Letter of interest	Dormant
Romeoville	Unclear	Unconfirmed	Unconfirmed
Gary, IN	Jan 2026	Three sites with renderings	Superseded by Hammond

The lesson for Arlington Heights: the team has shown it will use competing offers to push for better terms. That’s exactly what’s happening now with Hammond.