Big 10 Commissioner Kevin Warren Top Candidate For Bears Team President

According to Pete Thamel, Big 10 commissioner Kevin Warren has emerged as a top candidate for the Bears’ vacancy at team president/CEO. 

Thamel adds Warren is a serious enough candidate that he’s interviewed in person for the job. 

Warren has been an esteemed sports executive for a while now, and Thamel says the Bears find his experience with the Vikings in particular appealing. Warren helped Minnesota build their new stadium and the Bears are eyeing a new stadium at some point in the relative near future. 

It’s not clear why Warren would want to leave his current position, which is quite prestigious, but he evidently has a lot of interest to advance this far in the interview process. 

Current Bears president Ted Phillips announced earlier this year his intention to retire and Chicago has been looking for a replacement. 

Warren, 59, worked in law and as a sports agent before getting his start in the NFL with the Rams in their business office. He worked 22 years in various roles with the Rams, Lions and Vikings before he was hired as the commissioner of the Big 10 in 2020. 

Warren was the first African-American commissioner of a Power Five conference.