Pritzker expressed confidence last week that lawmakers could reach a deal after the Nov. 3 election, when legislators are scheduled to return to Springfield. He said the team would ultimately choose its location. The governor has also said a bill could move during the fall veto session or the legislature’s January lame-duck session, though negotiations have yet to produce a clear breakthrough.

The stadium talks are unfolding alongside the governor’s reelection campaign. Republican nominee Darren Bailey has suggested the Bears could end up in Indiana, where lawmakers have offered a package that would put $1 billion toward a proposed domed stadium in Hammond. But Bailey has also pitched his own plan to persuade the team to stay in Illinois.

A central dispute is how much public support, if any, should go to the franchise. The Bears have pursued a new home since the McCaskey family acquired the former Arlington International Racecourse property in 2021. The 326-acre suburban site was the focus of years of discussion about a possible property-tax break, while the team’s threat to move to Indiana last fall prompted Pritzker to take a more active role in negotiations.

One proposal, passed by the Illinois House this spring, would let the Bears negotiate a discounted payment in lieu of taxes with local governments. The bill included property-tax rebates for homeowners, but those potential returns were criticized as negligible. A separate Senate bill would have allowed municipalities to establish stadium authorities to negotiate terms for a publicly owned stadium; it failed to receive a vote in the House before the spring session ended.

People familiar with the negotiations say discussions have shifted toward the stadium-authority model. That approach could leave the door open to a Chicago site as well as Arlington Heights, a possibility that may matter to city lawmakers reluctant to clear the way for the team’s move to the suburbs.

Bailey says Pritzker should have brought lawmakers together sooner and negotiated a better deal. Bailey’s running mate, Aaron Del Mar, has also urged the governor to pressure fellow Democrats to support a proposal. Bailey’s own plan includes a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes incentive similar to one Pritzker has backed.

Independent candidate Collin Corbett says keeping the Bears in Illinois should be a priority, but cautions against offering a large corporate subsidy. He has argued that retaining the team could help the state’s business reputation without requiring a “sweetheart deal.”

Pritzker recently met again with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as talks continued. The governor has said any legislation should give the Bears a choice between Chicago and Arlington Heights while protecting taxpayers. Whether lawmakers can agree on those terms — and whether the team would accept them — remains unresolved.