Tag: Kevin Warren

WATCH: Darnell Wright gets the call from the Bears

Here’s the moment Darnell Wright got the call from Ryan Poles letting him know he’s going to be a Chicago Bear.

The Chicago Bears made Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright the inaugural first-round pick of general manager Ryan Poles’ tenure on Thursday evening. The Bears selected the physical offensive lineman with the No. 10 pick, trading down one spot from the No. 9 pick with the Philadelphia Eagles while gaining a 2024 fourth-round pick.

Wright had worked his whole career to get that phone call and here’s how everyone reacted when the moment finally came.

Poles was the first one to make the call and referenced a conversation they had while going through a private workout. “Do you remember what we talked about when we came down there and worked you out?” Poles asked the 21-year old. Wright knew exactly what he was talking about. “Be one of the best,” he responded. Poles then told Wright he’s going to be a Chicago Bear.

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Wright also took calls from head coach Matt Eberflus, team president and CEO Kevin Warren, and offensive line coach Chris Morgan. He told Eberflus he was “a little bit in shock” to receive the call, while he was fired up when he talked with Morgan, his new position coach.

Seeing and hearing players react to the news that their dream of playing in the NFL is finally a reality is one of the highlights of the draft. Each call is special for both the player and the team and Wright sounds motivated to get to work and help bring winning football back to Chicago.

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Kevin Warren reports for duty on first day as Bears president and CEO

The Kevin Warren era officially begins Monday for the Bears.

As the Chicago Bears kick off their offseason program, it also marks the start of a new era as Kevin Warren steps into his new role as the team’s CEO and president.

Warren, who served as the Big 10 commissioner for the last three years, replaces Ted Phillips, who is officially retired. While Warren’s term didn’t officially start until now, he’s been transitioning into the role since the day he was hired on Jan. 12.

“I think it’s been flawless,” Warren said back at the NFL owners meeting, via ChicagoBears.com. “Fortunately, I had this experience a couple years ago transitioning out from the Vikings to the Big Ten. And so really [I] tried to make sure that I brought in this environment, every time that I’ve seen someone transition or I’ve transitioned, to do it the right way.”

The team’s Twitter account shared a video of Warren arriving for his first day on the job, where he reported to Halas Hall at 5:47 a.m.

Warren has 21 years of NFL experience, where he served in various roles dating back to 1997. He’s worked with the Minnesota Vikings as their executive vice president of legal affairs and chief administrative officer from 2005-14 and their chief operating officer from 2015-19.

During his time with the Vikings, Warren played a huge role in the development of U.S. Bank Stadium in 2016. That’ll be huge as the Bears look to start developing their new stadium in Arlington Heights.

Meanwhile, Phillips had served as the Bears’ president and CEO since 1999, where he’s been integral in Soldier Field renovations in the early 2000s, as well as the purchasing of the Arlington Heights property in 2021.

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Kevin Warren: Arlington Heights is sole focus for new Bears stadium

After closing on the Arlington Heights property in February, Kevin Warren said it remains the main focus for Bears’ stadium development.

Kevin Warren doesn’t begin his tenure as Bears president and CEO until April 17, but he’s been in the transition process since being hired in January.

Warren’s biggest project will be the development of the Arlington Heights property, which is expected to be the site of a new state-of-the-art stadium. The Bears officially closed on the land back in February, which means potential stadium development can start moving once Warren steps in.

“Fortunately, I’ve been through this process before,” Warren said, via ChicagoBears.com.

“That was a big part, to be able to close on the land. That was a big step. That remains our main focus from a stadium development situation. There’s a lot of work to be done. I mean, when you close on land, that’s really when the work begins. And so I’m looking forward to April 17 and still just been trying to transition, gather information and stay up to speed. But I’ll really dive in once I start.”

Last fall, the Bears confirmed they’d reached an agreement to acquire the 326 acres of property — and they’ve already revealed initial plans for the property. After closing on the land, the Bears are one step closer to building a new state-of-the-art stadium.

But what’s the next step?

“Now you have to get all the legislation done, work through all the political elements, design the stadium, make sure it comes to life,” Warren said, via Adam Hoge.

Warren added that it takes typically about 36 months from the time you put a shovel into the ground to have it come to life.

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Report: The Big Ten could have a commissioner in place by May?

The Big Ten’s search for a commissioner could be over by May.

The Big Ten could have a commissioner in place by Memorial Day, at least according to one of the conference’s most visible athletic directors.

In a podcast interview this week, Rutgers athletic director Pat Hobbs said that the search committee for the commissioner role has been formed by the Big Ten. And that the search firm hired by the Big Ten to vet candidates is making progress.

The Big Ten is looking to replace Kevin Warren, who left the Big Ten to become the president and CEO of the Chicago Bears. Warren oversaw a period of strong growth for the Big Ten, including the expansion of the conference to include (soon-to-be) members in UCLA and USC.

In speaking with The Knight Report Podcast, Hobbs gave an update on the Big Ten’s search.

“They’re going to try to do this as quietly as possible. My understanding is that there is great interest in the position, not surprisingly,” Hobbs told The Knight Report.

“They have received a lot of resumes from a wide sort of range of backgrounds. Some college, some not college. I haven’t seen those resumes, we won’t see those resumes.

“We’re kept up to date on where the search is. I think there is a confidence that they will conclude the search sometime before the end of May, I think that’s really the goal. I think that’s a doable goal.

“There’s not a lot of people who can be Big Ten commissioner, in my view. This is not sort of inside information from the committee.”

The Knight Report is an affiliate of Rivals.

 

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Warren served four years as the commissioner of the conference before joining the Bears in January of 2023. The Bears have been among the most active teams in NFL free agency.

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Kevin Warren explains why Justin Fields is perfect leader for Bears

New Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren explains the moment he knew Justin Fields was a great leader.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields had a breakout year with the Bears in his second season, where he established himself as one of the league’s most exciting young players.

Fields flashed his star potential with his elite athleticism and speed, rushing for 1,143 yards, nearly breaking Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record. While Fields still has some work to do as a passer, this season was a big step forward for the former first-round pick.

But more than the improvement on the football field was Fields’ coming into his own as a leader of this team. It’s something new Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren knew before Fields ever took a snap in Chicago.

Fields and Warren crossed paths during their time in the Big Ten, including during the COVID year when Fields organized a petition to help get football restarted.

And it was that experience in 2020 that showed Warren that Fields was a great leader, which is exactly what the Bears need.

“What that told me about Justin is that he’s passionate,” Warren said. “My whole goal was trying to keep players safe. I appreciated him being able to take that leadership role. I called him on draft day and I was ecstatic that he got drafted by the Bears because that’s what you need from a leadership standpoint.

“I have the greatest amount of respect for him because I know he’s gonna do everything he possibly can with the talent that he has to be a leader. He wants to win championships. Those are the people that I want, because if someone was not upset about [not] playing, then I really would be concerned. I know if I was in the Big Ten and someone did what I did, yeah, I would’ve led a revolt to be able to play, because that’s how passionate I was to take advantage of it. So I think that’s great.”

We’ve seen Fields really come into his own as a leader this season, where in a 3-14 season, he rallied his guys and set the standard. Even as the losses mounted, there was no quit in Fields, or his team. We even saw Fields step in and talk things through with receiver Chase Claypool, who had an outburst during a Week 17 blowout against the Lions.

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Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren describes himself as ‘stadium nerd’

Before Kevin Warren got the Bears’ president/CEO job, he paid a visit to the Arlington Heights property as the “stadium nerd” he is.

One of the biggest reasons Kevin Warren was hired as the new Bears president and CEO was because of the development of the Arlington Heights property, which the organization is expected to close upon this spring.

Warren called himself a “stadium nerd,” and he went as far to visit the Arlington Heights property — before he got this job. (It’s worth noting he already lives in Chicago).

Notably, Warren played an integral role in the creation of U.S. Bank Stadium during his time with the Vikings. As for what Warren learned during his time in Minnesota, it’ll serve the Bears well in the building of their new stadium.

“I think the biggest thing I learned was the fact that you need to plan before you start digging,” Warren said. “And I think what made and makes U.S. Bank Stadium so special – we spent almost a year in planning and planning is critical. And that’s what I appreciate about the McCaskeys is that they support the planning process. And so I think that will be really critical from that standpoint.

While the city of Chicago has done its best to convince the Bears to stay at Soldier Field, Warren made it pretty clear that Arlington Heights is a go.

“I know we’re focused on Arlington Park and that stadium development project,” Warren said. “I look forward to leaning in to the stadium development project, but I think the biggest thing we can do is to make sure that we’re methodical, we’re detailed, and we take the time to plan it properly.”

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8 takeaways from Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren’s introductory press conference

From the Arlington Heights property to championship expectations, here’s what we learned from Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren’s presser.

The Chicago Bears introduced new president and CEO Kevin Warren on Tuesday, where we got to hear from him for the first time since being hired.

Warren will replace current president and CEO Ted Phillips, who is retiring after 40 years with the organization, this spring.

Warren spoke for an hour, where he discussed a number of important topics, including the Arlington Heights stadium, his expectations for the Bears franchise and why he decided to take the job and leave his post as Big Ten Commissioner.

“Greatness is ahead of us” Warren said. “All we need to do now is go ahead and grasp it.”

Here’s what we learned from Warren’s first press conference:

Twitter reacts to Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren’s introductory press conference

The Bears introduced Kevin Warren as their new president/CEO, and fans are already embracing Warren with open arms.

The Chicago Bears introduced new president and CEO Kevin Warren on Tuesday, where he spoke for an hour and laid out his plans and goals for the organization moving forward.

Warren has lofty expectations for the Bears, referencing the goal of winning Super Bowls just five minutes into his presser. Not to mention, he made it blatantly clear that Arlington Heights is the focus for a new stadium moving forward.

Warren won’t officially begin his new role until April, but he said he’ll be working closely with Ted Phillips, who’s retiring this year, to make the transition seamless.

As you can imagine, Bears fans had plenty of thoughts about Warren’s introductory press conference. The main takeaway? Warren is a breath of fresh air when compared to Phillips, and the hope is this franchise is headed in the right direction.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to Warren:

One outlet somehow believes C.J. Stroud to the NFL isn’t a lock

Do you believe this rumor? #GoBucks

We are all waiting on what Ohio State quarterback [autotag]C.J. Stoud[/autotag] will do next year, although it would be a major shock if he doesn’t head off to the [autotag]NFL[/autotag]. But don’t tell that to one outlet. In fact, it believes there is potential for Stroud to return for another year at [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag].

No. Really.

Spark College Football has heard a rumor that Stroud is considering staying in Columbus due to a very “large NIL package being proposed to him.” Now this could very well be just smoke. But the report also mentioned that Las Vegas experts have adjusted the odds for [autotag]Kentucky[/autotag] quarterback [autotag]Will Levis[/autotag] being selected No. 1.

We’re not sure where Spark College Football got this rumor, but something tells us someone is having fun at others’ expense.

The Chicago Bears own the first pick and already have a former Buckeye quarterback as their starter, [autotag]Justin Fields[/autotag]. They just made former [autotag]Big Ten[/autotag] commissioner [autotag]Kevin Warren[/autotag] their president and CEO. Their general manager, [autotag]Ryan Poles[/autotag] has said he loves Fields and most likely will not draft a quarterback with their pick, but there is potential they trade down.

But back to Stroud. He has until Monday, Jan. 16, to make a decision but aside from this report all signs point to him declaring for the draft.

Don’t get your hopes up, in other words.

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Grading the Bears’ hiring of Kevin Warren as team president and CEO

The Bears could not have done much better than hiring Kevin Warren to be their next president. Here is our grade of the move.

The Chicago Bears have a new voice at the top of their organization. After rumors swirled the last couple of weeks, the Bears made the official announcement that Kevin Warren will become the new team president and CEO.

Warren comes to the Bears after spending the last few years as the commissioner of the Big Ten. He’s also held front office positions with the St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, and Minnesota Vikings spanning the ’90s into the 2010s. Warren becomes the fifth president in team history, taking over for Ted Phillips who will retire at some point this year.

The decision to hire Warren sends a message that the Bears are going in a new direction with their team. He’s the first president with prior football-related experience outside of the Bears organization and should bring a fresh perspective as they look to forge ahead in new business ventures, most notably the new stadium project in Arlington Heights.

Here is our initial grade of the hiring.