Kevin Warren surfaced as a candidate for the Bears’ president and CEO role recently, and the Big Ten commissioner is expected to make the jump back to the NFL.
The Bears plan to hire Warren, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Warren will succeed longtime Bears president Ted Phillips, who announced intentions to retire before this past season. Warren has an extensive history in the NFL, including with two NFC North franchises (the Lions and Vikings), but has been the Big Ten commissioner since 2019.
This will be the first Bears change in this position in the 21st century. Phillips had served in this role since 1999 but indicated in September he was leaving the team after 40 years in various roles. Warren will come in from the college ranks, but he has more than 20 years of experience in the NFL.
Warren, 59, became the first Black commissioner of the Big Ten and helmed the conference during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to numerous schedule and format adjustments for all sports over multiple years. The conference waffled on its 2020 football schedule, initially postponing the season to the spring. Warren then backtracked, leading to the league starting its season on Oct. 24 — well after the southern power conferences began their respective campaigns. The Pac-12 joined the Big Ten in beginning its season late that fall. The Big Ten during this period also reached agreements on the additions of USC and UCLA, which represent two of the most shocking realignment dominoes to fall in history.
Before accepting the Bears position, Warren remained on his original contract as Big Ten commish. He will join a Bears team that recently clinched the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 1947. The Bears launched a rebuilding effort last year, hiring Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflusto to lead that effort. Poles gutted Chicago’s veteran-laden defense, with trades involving Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith, and Robert Quinn playing a role in the team finishing 3-14 and securing the top pick.
Bears GMs primarily reported to Phillips during his time in the president/CEO role, making the Warren addition fairly crucial to Poles’ rebuild. It will be interesting to see if chairman George McCaskey will have Poles report to the team’s new president. Based on how the Bears have functioned in the past, that would be in line to happen. Warren has been mentioned as a possible Roger Goodell successor down the road, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post, with Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio indicating the same while including Broncos co-owner and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as another rumored option. Having Warren back in the NFL could allow for an easier commissioner transition at some point.
Ahead of his Big Ten commitment, Warren spent nearly 15 years with the Vikings. He finished his Minnesota run working as the team’s COO. He spent three years with the Lions in the early 2000s and began his NFL career with the Rams in the late ’90s.
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