Bears President/CEO Ted Phillips Retiring After 2022 Season

Bears President/CEO Ted Phillips tells Dan Pompei of The Athletic that he plans to retire after the 2022 season. 

“When COVID came, it changed a lot of dynamics and gave me some time to reflect on my life, my work life,” Phillips said. “I came to the conclusion that, my gosh, almost 40 years is a long time. It’s time to hand over the baton and give myself the gift of time. You know how this business can be, a lot of hours and time away from family. I just turned 65 years old. I feel good. My health is good. I felt it was time to slow down and do whatever I want to do.”

Phillips informed Bears chairman George McCaskey he was considering retirement and after some discussion, it was determined that Phillips will step down next February.

“His humility. His intelligence. His consensus building. His steady hand. His refusal to get too high or too low. He’s been an outstanding leader for the Bears. Peerless is the word that comes to mind,” McCaskey said of Phillips. 

Pompei reports that the process of finding a successor to Phillips has already begun and that McCaskey, Phillips and senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion Tanesha Wade have been in discussions with the search firm Nolan Partners.

Pompei adds that some internal candidates for the job could include senior vice president of marketing and communications Scott Hagel and senior vice president and legal counsel Cliff Stein.

Phillips began his career with the Bears in 1983 as the team’s Controller. He held multiple positions over the years before he was hired as CEO/President in 1999.