The Chicago Bears have long insisted they remain on a ‘late spring/early summer timeline’ to officially announce the site of their ambitious stadium project.Chicago has been home to the NFL franchise since 1921, but they will soon leave historic Soldier Field for the suburbs.The Bears will move out of Solider Field, and possibly out of Illinois tooGettyThe battle for the proposed $4 billion, state-of-the-art stadium and surrounding development comes down to two sites.Arlington Heights, Illinois, was long expected to be the destination, as it would keep the Bears in state, around 30 miles northwest of downtown.But that deal has stalled, and the state of Indiana swoop in with a proposal to bring the team across the border to Hammond.One other Illinois village, with a tiny population, has recently proposed a new stadium site — but realistically, it has little chance of landing the team.In fact, Indiana Governor Mike Braun has suggested this week that his state’s proposal ‘looks good’ as the deadline approaches.Bears have ‘handshake partner’ for Hammond stadium siteHe expects Hammond’s bid to succeed after the Bears board voted to advance it earlier in June.“When they made that announcement unanimously from their board that they were focusing on Indiana, that was after six years,” Gov. Braun said Tuesday.“Five-and-a-half of which they had a deaf ear from their own state, governor, legislature, City of Chicago.“That’s what happens when you have a deaf ear to the customer.“They have now unanimously on their board said they are focusing on Hammond, Indiana.”Gov. Braun believes the deal to bring the Bears to Hammond ‘looks good’GettyWhile ‘due diligence’ must be done, Braun suggested that the Bears know they are dealing with a ‘handshake partner’ who wants to bring the team to Hammond.“There’s gonna be some due diligence along the way,” he said.“We were in communication with them twice a week since they called me six months ago.“They know they’re dealing with somebody that’s a handshake business partner, has come a long way.”Bears stadium in Hammond will be year-round attractionThe Bears hope their new stadium, regardless of where it gets built, will host around 65,000 fans on gameday.If Hammond is indeed their new home, local officials believe the facility will be used far beyond NFL Sundays, as a year-round destination.The Bears are expected to officially announce their stadium site by ‘early summer’Chicago Bears / ManicaConcerts, college football games, soccer matches and boxing events have all been touted by South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Phil Taillon.“We see it as a 365-day attraction,” he said, per The Times of Northwest Indiana.“It will be our job to help draw visitors year-round.”A surrounding village, with restaurants, bars, retail stores and hotels will likely be built around the new stadium, to help boost visitor numbers.NFL Stadium StatusOn the Move – Why is Roger Goodell allowing three of NFL’s most famous teams to build $8.8bn new homes and ditch diehard fans?Chicago Bears – NFL’s second-oldest team admits defeat as $5bn relocation from 102-year-old stadium confirmed in statementKansas City Chiefs – Chiefs owner issues response as Kansas City’s $4bn cross-state relocation plan hits roadblockJacksonville Jaguars – $5.6bn NFL team’s 150-mile relocation triggers unique rule exemption amid CBA conflictCleveland Browns – $2.6bn NFL stadium fraught with drama finally makes breakthrough as Super Bowl dream teasedTennessee Titans – Super Bowl 2030 host is unopened $2.2bn ‘cookie-cutter’ stadium that will be NFL’s smallest“It’s important to explore all opportunities to draw traffic,” Taillon added.“As the marketing organization for Lake County tourism, we’ll look at what types of events the venue can host and what opportunities they present.“The stadium and development won’t just be open for eight or nine or ten games a year.“We’ll be seeing all kinds of new opportunities for Northwest Indiana residents and sectors, as we have at other sites where these facilities are built.The Bears have played at Soldier Field for more than five decadesGetty“We want to work with the Chicago Bears to make sure it’s being used 365 days a year, and we’re getting the full impact from this type of development.”With a ‘handshake partner’ in Gov. Braun, and big plans from local officials beyond the NFL season, the Bears could soon be committing their project to Hammond.Stay up to date on all things NFL across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.