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The Chicago Bears are closing in on one of the biggest decisions the franchise will have made in years.

Indiana, or Illinois: Where will the team's new planned state-of-the-art stadium be built?

Bears President Kevin Warren and Chairman George McCaskey spoke to reporters at the NFL Owner's Meetings in Arizona with the latest on the Bears' stadium endeavors, which has a new timeline for the Bears decision makers.

What we know:

Warren wanted to have shovels in the ground already. He made it clear over a year ago when the Bears were looking for their next head coach.

"I remain steadfast that the goal we have is shovels in the ground in 2025," Warren said in January 2025. "I’m confident it will happen."

Since then, the Bears have hired Ben Johnson, enjoyed a successful 2025, went on a playoff run and have forayed into the 2026 NFL offseason.

Warren's new timeline in 2026 will ultimately decide where those shovels will go first. That starts with making a decision soon between either of the sites the Bears have in Arlington Heights, Illinois, or Hammond, Indiana.

"The target is to make sure we have a decision made by springtime, late springtime, early summer," Warren said. "Both of the sites are excellent, excellent sites."

It'll come down to those two sites, as Warren told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Chris Simms in an interview earlier this week the only site the team is considering in Cook County is Arlington Park.

Warren noted the Hammond site is 340 acres, while the Arlington Park area is 326 acres. 

"We're comfortable with either site," McCaskey said.

Either way, the team will need to borrow the $2 billion they've committed to the stadium construction. That's not anything that will affect the team's roster construction or the roster building.

"This is a significant risk for the family and for the organization," McCaskey said. "But, it’s on the business side. It won’t impact what’s available for football operations whatsoever."

What's next:

The Bears have to make a decision on where they want to build their stadium. That comes first before anything else.

McCaskey noted the Bears need to get a deal of some kind on the table from Illinois and Indiana before they choose between one or the other. The team doesn't have that just yet.

"The fact of the matter is, we don’t have a deal to consider right now,' McCaskey said.

Warren said the Bears want to have "tax certainty," which are set expectations for for taxpayers and from the government.

"We don’t look at this as a political exercise," Warren said. "We look at this as a business transaction."