Colts Will Remain Indiana's Team, Even if Bears Jump the Border

Ready or not, one of the NFL's most renowned franchises could no longer be true to its iconic name. The Chicago Bears may be leaving their home of 104 years and moving to Indiana, with construction of a new stadium in the state's Northwest region being approved by lawmakers. What is yet to be accounted for is the potential consequences for Indiana's first and only NFL team, the Indianapolis Colts.

The Bears desire to relocate saw a crucial development on Thursday when Indiana lawmakers unanimously amended Senate Bill 27, a decision that allows construction of an NFL stadium to move forward in Northwest Indiana. The committee named Hammond, Indiana as the location for the Chicago Bears next stadium.

#Bears stadium update: The Illinois House Revenue & Finance Committee meeting that was scheduled for 8am today isn’t happening. And the last I heard, the mega projects bill wasn’t even going to be called on.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) February 19, 2026

The franchise had previously offered to invest $2 billion into the stadium's construction in Arlington Heights, a former racetrack site that the team owns in Illinois. However, the team requested $855 million in public funding to cover costs for roads, sewers, and changes to an adjacent commuter rail line to the property.

The team also vouched for the state of Illinois to freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects, something that would have allowed construction to begin in 2025. The state's legislature did not oblige, and by this past December, Indiana senator Rodric Bray had authored the bill to bring the Bears to the Hoosier state.

Indiana is open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears. We’ve identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal. If…
— Governor Mike Braun (@GovBraun) February 19, 2026

In a statement on Thursday, the Bears called the advancement of the bill “the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date.”

The team's initial targeted area of construction in Arlington Heights is 32 miles from Soldier Field. Surprisingly, the newly proposed location in Hammond is just 16 miles away from the Bears' current home stadium. The Bears would still very much remain in the greater Chicagoland region.

While no construction is officially underway just yet, what could an Indiana landscape with two NFL teams truly mean for the Colts? The truth is that not much will change for Indianapolis, even if their former Super Bowl opponent were to become their neighbors.

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Given that Hammond is located within a 75-mile radius of downtown Chicago, the Bears already hold marketing rights in the area, Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward told the IndyStar. The Colts also do not purchase advertising in the area, nor hold any events in the area.

“We wish the Bears all the best,” Ward told the publication. “If they were talking about relocating deeper into the state, we might feel differently – but they’re clearly talking about the Chicago suburbs. It’s come up before, the possibility of the Bears moving to Northwest Indiana, so this is not unprecedented. We wish them luck.”

The Chicago Bears won the NFC North in 2025, their first division championship since the 2018 season. The team knocked off the Green Bay Packers in the wildcard round, earning their first playoff win since the 2010 playoffs. The victory was just their second since the team made it to the Super Bowl in the 2006 season.

Are we about to get a Bears-Colts rivalry? 👀

h/t @HerbScribner pic.twitter.com/OAsQnO2HXw
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) February 19, 2026

Super Bowl XLI between the Colts and Bears was between the two closest cities, geographically, to ever play in a Super Bowl at 182 miles apart. The cities are slightly closer than the next-closest matchup, New York and Baltimore, which faced off in Super Bowl III (Jets vs. Colts) and XXXV (Giants vs. Ravens).

Tony Dungy joked that the two teams should just split the difference and play in Fort Wayne after winning the AFC Championship.

Feb 4, 2007; Miami, FL, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders (21) intercepts a ball intended for Chicago Bears receiver Bernard Berrian (80) in the second half of Super Bowl XLI at Dolphins Stadium. The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images Copyright © 2007 Jason Parkhurst | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The Bears' move to Indiana is far from official, with a handful of legal details still needing fine-tuning. Illinois' governor, J.B. Pritzker, expressed his displeasure with the current state of negotiations between the state and the franchise.

“We have made a lot of advancement in that conversation with them," Pritzker said. "I’m surprised, dismayed, very disappointed in what I saw in a statement."

The Bears have expressed their committment to the construction of a stadium in Indiana.

"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," the Bears said in a statement.