CM Punk accuses $1.3bn Bears owners of ‘straight greed’ and calls for team to be sold over Indiana relocation

The Chicago Bears have all but confirmed they will be moving out of Illinois.

After months of speculation and a three-state bidding war to land the historic NFL franchise, it was announced on Thursday that the Bears had struck a deal to move away from Soldier Field and across state lines to northwest Indiana.

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Having been spotted alongside NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell exploring potential construction sites, the Bears have announced that they have settled on building their new stadium at the Wolf Lake site in Hammond, Indiana.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun revealed on Thursday that they are still yet to negotiate a final deal, but shortly after making a statement, the Senate Bill 27 unanimously passed 24-0 signaling yet another step in a forward direction.

With the $8.2 billion-valued Bears expected to move their entire franchises 20 miles south across the border, there has been outrage among the Bears faithful, which includes WWE superstar CM Punk.

A Chicago, Illinois native and huge Chicago sports fan, the 47-year-old professional wrestler, who will fight against Roman Reigns in the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42, opened up exclusively to talkSPORT on the possibility that his beloved Bears would be leaving his state.

It’s safe to say that the WWE 2K26 cover athlete – his second time featuring on the cover of the iconic video game – wasn’t too impressed, calling out the McCaskey family, worth an estimated $1.3 billion, and the potential move as an act of ‘straight greed’.

“It’s not a smart idea. It’s not a good move,” CM Punk exclusively told talkSPORT’s Jon Jackson at the WWE HQ in Stamford, Connecticut.

“Maybe we can do a 1-for-1 trade. Give us the [Indianapolis] Colts then. The Chicago Colts sounds pretty cool to me.

“Soldier Field is a historic landmark. All the reasons that I know they don’t wanna play there anymore are just straight greed.

“They don’t get a cut of concessions. They don’t get parking. The city owns the building.

“So you’ve got enough money. Sell the team, McCaskey’s. Sell the team, please.

talkSPORT

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“Love Ben Johnson. Love Caleb Williams. Hopefully they go farther next year [in the playoffs] but they’re just going to lose a lot of support.

“There’s a lot of Chicago fans who are going to be really upset about that.”

Even the Bears franchise quarterback Williams has revealed that he would prefer if the team remained in Chicago.

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Plans to stay in Illinois fell through

The Bears – who are valued at $8.2 billion – have called the 61,500-capacity Soldier Field home since 1971.

In fact, since their inception in 1924, the Bears have only ever played at two stadiums: Soldier Field and Wrigley Field – still the ballpark of MLB outfit Chicago Cubs.

However, the NFL’s oldest stadium – albeit one of the most iconic – has not stood the test of time and is falling far behind the modern day masterpieces such as that of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

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Initially, it was believed that the Bears would remain in Illinois, and set up shop in Arlington Heights.

This came after the McCaskey family purchased the Arlington Park racetrack property – a 326-acre site – for $197 million back in February 2023.

The plans were that they were going to break ground on a $5 billion redevelopment project that included a domed stadium, which was touted to open in 2029.

However, Bears CFO and President stunned many around the NFL when he penned an open letter revealing the team’s frustrations over the negotiations at the Arlington Heights site.

Financial benefits for the McCaskeys

The proposed Wolf Lake site sits just 19 miles south-east from Soldier Field, while the Arlington Heights site is located 30 miles north – closer to where the majority of Bears fans hail.

But moving to Indiana comes with financial benefits, for the owners that is.

This comes as they would not only escape the high Illinois property taxes, but Indiana’s proposal also includes the use of tax-payer money, meaning the Bears would only need to contribute an estimated $2 billion to their new stadium.

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This has not gone down well with sportscaster Rachel Nichols, who did not hold back in voicing her opinion, which aligns very closely to that of CM Punk.

“The idea of a team whose ownership is worth $1.5 billion going to Indiana instead of staying in Chicago for tax money just blows my mind,” Nichols said on Thursday.

“These are the Chicago Bears… the history with this fan base which is one of the greatest fan bases in the NFL.

“ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, who I really respect, was on the radio this morning and said, ‘Look, the McCaskey family, they just aren’t liquid enough to build their own stadium. They do need this taxpayer money.’

“You are not the owners of a team like the Chicago Bears, you are the stewards of a team like the Chicago Bears.

“If you don’t have the resources to keep the Bears in Chicago, you sell the team to someone who does.

“You do not hold onto it for the vanity of holding onto it and move them to Indiana. I am so fired up. … I am not a fan of spending taxpayer money on stadiums for billionaires. …

“You are talking about a time in America where the economics are tough for a lot of Americans right now, and to say that you are going to give a billionaire family taxpayer money for a stadium, and not only do it but to move the team to Indiana, the Chicago Bears? I’m not in for it, I’m sorry.”

Nichols also proposed a very good question: what will happen to their name? Their legacy?

“By the way, are they going to become the Indiana Bears? I mean, they can’t be the Chicago Bears anymore. You’re talking about are we changing the name of the team?”

Only time will tell.

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