Pritzker Calls on 'Miracle' as Illinois Races to Keep Chicago Bears From Indiana

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he believes a "miracle" can still save the Chicago Bears from moving to Indiana, but the clock is running out. The state legislative session ends May 31, and the stadium bill the team needs has not yet passed both chambers.

Pritzker spoke after a direct conversation with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who confirmed the Bears are only considering two sites: Arlington Heights, Illinois, or Hammond, Indiana.

"I've seen miracles happen every year. Every single year," Pritzker said Friday, according to Olivia Olander of the Chicago Tribune. "I feel confident that there will be a bill that gets brought up in the Senate, and then hopefully they'll pass it and send it over to the House, and that bill will be about whether or not we're keeping them in the state of Illinois or letting them go to Indiana."

The Bill That Could Keep the Bears

The Illinois House already passed what lawmakers call the megaprojects bill. The legislation would allow the Bears to make special payments to local governments in Arlington Heights instead of paying higher property taxes. It would also provide hundreds of millions of dollars for infrastructure around the stadium site.

The bill now needs to clear the Senate and return to the House for final passage. The General Assembly's spring session ends this month.

Indiana Makes Its Pitch

Indiana Governor Mike Braun is not waiting for Illinois to catch up. He told Fox News on Sunday that his state has "pretty decent odds" of landing the franchise.

"I'd say 65-35, and I don't like to get ahead of my skies," Braun said. "Their legislature really hasn't tailored anything that they're interested in. We did it quickly. It impressed them, and they saw what Indiana would be like as a long-term business partner."

Indiana lawmakers passed stadium financing legislation earlier this year. Braun said the Bears leadership was impressed by the speed of Indiana's action compared to Illinois' delays.

"That is what happens when you have a deaf ear," Braun said. "Pritzker, their legislature, three years [the Bears have] been trying to get them to actually weigh in on it. Six months [ago,] they came and saw we move at the speed of business, not government."

The Pritzker-Johnson Feud

The stadium fight has exposed a deep rift between Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. The two Democrats have been at odds for months over how to keep the Bears in the city.

Pritzker previously accused Johnson of having "no plan" for the team. Johnson fired back in a radio interview, attacking Pritzker's family wealth and saying the governor "doesn't know what it's like to open a refrigerator and, ain't no food in it."

Bill Cunningham, the Democratic state senator leading stadium negotiations, said the Bears recently reached out to the city to discuss a lakefront stadium in Chicago. That renewed interest gave Johnson's efforts new life, even though no concrete plan exists yet.

"There is no concrete plan from the city on the table right now," Cunningham said. "But by virtue of the fact that the Bears reached out to the city in recent weeks to talk about the lakefront, they have breathed life into the mayor's efforts."

What Is at Stake

The Bears have played at Soldier Field for more than five decades. The team has said it will make a final decision on its new stadium site by this summer.

If Illinois fails to pass the megaprojects bill, the Bears could choose Hammond, Indiana. That would mean the team leaves the state entirely for the first time in its history.

Pritzker is running for reelection in November and is also considering a presidential campaign. Losing the Bears to a neighboring Republican state would be a major political liability.

Johnson has not formally announced a run for reelection in the February 2027 mayoral election, but all signs point to him seeking another term. Presiding over the Bears' departure would also damage his political standing.

The next few days in Springfield will determine whether Pritzker's miracle happens — or whether the Chicago Bears become the Indiana Bears.