Bears Issue Statement on Potential Indiana Stadium Amid Cancelled Illinois Hearing on Project

The Chicago Bears released a statement reaffirming their willingness to consider building a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana, after Illinois lawmakers cancelled a meeting in which they were scheduled to discuss the franchise's Arlington Heights project.

CBS Chicago's Marissa Perlman and Adam Harrington reported state legislators "wanted to work through some additional details in the proposal, called the Mega Project Assessment Freeze and Payment Law, before bringing it forward."

Meanwhile, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun publicly made his pitch to the Bears, posting on social media that "our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears":

The Bears followed up by writing how Indiana's Senate Bill 27 "would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date":

This is merely the latest step in the organization's long-running stadium saga. The Bears have cycled through multiple locations, including one idea to construct a new domed venue along the Chicago lakefront. The state of Iowa is even throwing itself into the fray.

It remains to be seen whether ownership is serious about following through on relocating to Indiana or whether this is all a bluff to secure public funding to stay in Illinois.

Perlman and Harrington reported the Bears are prepared to pay for an Arlington Heights stadium but want more than $850 million in state funds for infrastructure improvements in the surrounding area.

Brenden Moore of Capitol News Illinois reported Tuesday there was "positive momentum" toward the Arlington Heights project.

Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner struck an optimistic tone.

"You can't score a touchdown unless you're first in the huddle, right? And we're in the huddle now," he told Moore. "We're calling plays and we're figuring out what's going to work, and then we'll break at some point and try to execute."

Relocation isn't straightforward, either, with Moore writing how the Bears would be on the hook for an eight-figure payout to the city of Chicago if they broke their Soldier Field lease.

However this ends, it looks like the resolution remains a ways off.