The Bears reiterated Friday that their practice facility will remain in Lake Forest regardless of where they build their next stadium.
After the team turned its attention toward building a stadium in Hammond on Thursday, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott said proposed construction included a practice facility that would make Halas Hall obsolete.
Leaving Lake Forest has never been a realistic possibility, regardless of whether the Bears build across the state line in Hammond or on the 326 acres they own in Arlington Heights. In 2019, the Bears spent more than $100 million to build a 162,500-square-foot addition to their practice facility, making it one of the NFL’s finest.
The Bears have practiced at the site since 1997. Before that, they’d trained four miles away at Lake Forest College since 1979. Many of the Bears’ players and staff live near Lake Forest, and the team has held training camp at their facility since 2020.
Distance between Halas Hall and the Bears’ next stadium is largely irrelevant, given that the Bears, like every other NFL team, spends the night before each game — both home and away — at a hotel.
The Bears could find a Day 1 starter on either side of the line at No. 25, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said — and don’t need to swing a trade to do it.
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He had one year left on his contract.
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The Bears stopped short of committing to moving across the state line, while Illinois lawmakers are frustrated with the team’s latest PR blitz.
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