PHOENIX — Chicago Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren laid out the team's projected stadium decision timeline on Wednesday at the NFL's league meetings in Phoenix. The Bears will choose between building a domed stadium in Hammond, Indiana, or Arlington Heights, Illinois.

"I recently said that the target is to make sure that we have a decision made by springtime here soon. Late spring, early summer would be that from a target," Warren said.

The process of leaving Soldier Field began five years ago when the team purchased land in the Arlington Heights suburb northwest of Chicago. The Bears currently own 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights and had hoped to begin construction on their new stadium in 2024 and 2025, but nothing materialized as the team struggled to come to an agreement on property taxes with the suburb.

The Bears encountered roadblocks with Illinois over property taxes, leading the team to explore a potential site in northwest Indiana. Warren said tax policy plays a role in the decision. "I think the biggest thing is, in all these big projects, you have to have tax certainty, which is critically important. We would not be able to build a stadium without tax certainty," Warren said. "Fortunately we do have tax certainty in the state of Indiana, from that standpoint. There are no property taxes for our stadium in the state of Indiana, so that is certain."

In Illinois, state lawmakers introduced a proposed bill that would freeze property tax assessments on megaproject sites and allow developers to negotiate payment-in-lieu-of-taxes with local governments. The Bears are waiting to see if the PILOT bill passes during the Illinois general assembly's spring session, which ends on May 31.

Bears chairman George H. McCaskey said he is confident a deal would come together at one of the two locations. "We think a deal will materialize somewhere. We're comfortable with either site. We have people at the Bears working with public servants in both Indiana and Illinois trying to get this done," McCaskey said.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the team has conducted an extensive search. "They have looked not only in Indiana but also in Illinois and other sites and have invested in a site in Arlington Heights," Goodell said. He added, "I think it's really important that they come to a resolution on this relatively soon."

The Bears have never played their home games outside Illinois since they were founded in 1920.