The Chicago Bears have quietly been interviewing and vetting candidates to replace the retiring Ted Phillips as team president and CEO and they may be zeroing in on one particular candidate.
According to ESPN college insider Pete Thamel, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has emerged as a finalist for the job. He’s already interviewed for the position with the team and the process as a whole could be completed in early 2023.
Sources: Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren has emerged as a top candidate to be the next President/CEO of the Chicago Bears. He’s interviewed in person for the job and is considered among the final candidates. The process is expected to wrap up in the upcoming weeks.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 29, 2022
Warren has held various positions within NFL front offices prior to becoming the commissioner of the Big Ten. He’s worked with the Minnesota Vikings as their executive vice president of legal affairs and chief administrative officer from 2005-2014, as well as their chief operating officer from 2015-2019. He also held titles with the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams prior to that in the 1990s and 2000s.
In 2020, Warren became commissioner of the Big Ten, the first African-American to hold such a title in any of the Power Five college conferences. Warren was instrumental in bringing over USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, which is scheduled to take place in 2024. Now, Warren could be returning to the NFL as Phillips’ replacement.
Phillips is retiring after 39 years with the Bears organization. He became team president and CEO in 1999 and spearheaded initiatives such as the Soldier Field renovations in the early 2000s and the agreement to purchase Arlington Park in 2021. Phillips also played a role in the massive renovations that took place at Halas Hall in the late 2010s with former general manager Ryan Pace.
The Bears have been quiet about their process to replace Phillips, who announced over the summer of his intentions to retire in 2023. Now with Warren emerging as a finalist, things could be wrapped up fairly soon with a new leader in place.
