Tag: Ted Phillips

Bears fans rejoice after hearing president/CEO Ted Phillips will retire at season’s end

A new era is coming for the Chicago Bears and fans are over the moon about it.

A new era is coming for the Chicago Bears and fans are over the moon about it. The Athletic’s Dan Pompei is reporting Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips will retire following the 2022 NFL season. Phillips has been with the organization since 1983, working his way up to become president and CEO in 1999 and has held that title ever since.

According to Pompei, Phillips made the decision to retire last fall, citing the COVID-19 pandemic made him reflect on his life and priorities. The 65-year old will stay on until February, 2023.

Under Phillips, the Bears haven’t had the sustained success they were once used to seeing back in the 1980s. Since 1999, they have made the postseason just six times, winning three playoff games and no Super Bowl championships. From a business standpoint, however, Phillips made his mark by overseeing the renovations at Soldier Field in the early 2000s. The major knock against him, however, is that his business background didn’t lend itself to making football decisions as the team president. That was already being adjusted after yet another disappointing season led to the firings of Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy earlier this year.

Phillips’ role had changed this past offseason when chairman George McCaskey announced new general manager Ryan Poles would report to him and not the team president. Now, the front office will see even more of a shakeup come February.

The news of Phillips’ impending retirement sent shockwaves on social media, but Bears fans appear to be united in their happiness as real change is finally coming to Halas Hall.

Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips to retire in February

Ted Phillips, the President and CEO of the Chicago Bears, announced he will retire after the 2022 season.

After four decades with the organization, Chicago Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips will retire at the end of the season.

Phillips and the organization announced the news on Friday, and indicated that the decision had been a “few years in the making.”

‘Forty seasons is a long time,’ he said. ‘I’m very blessed and I love my job. But when COVID hit, it gave me time to reflect and think about what I want my future to be. I’m healthy, so there’s no issue there, knock on wood. It was more just wanting to give myself the gift of time, to be able to enjoy my family and my friends.

‘It’s a demanding job; takes a lot of time, there’s a lot of pressure. I just felt like it’s time to hand the baton to somebody else.’

Phillips joined the team back in 1983, first as the team’s Controller. After four years in that position, he became the team’s Director of Finance and then Chicago’s Vice President of Operations.

He served the Bears in that capacity until 1999, when he moved into his current role.

During his time as the President and CEO, Phillips oversaw the improvements to both Soldier Field and Halas Hall. He was just the fourth President in team history, following George Halas, George Halas Jr., and Michael McCaskey.

Bears president/CEO Ted Phillips to retire after 2022 season

Bears president/CEO Ted Phillips is calling it a career at the end of the 2022 season, according to Dan Pompei.

Chicago Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips will be retiring at the end of the 2022 season, according to The Athletic‘s Dan Pompei.

Phillips has served as the team’s president and chief executive officer for 23 years and has been a member of Chicago’s front office for the last 39 years.

According to Pompei, Phillips told chairman George McCaskey last fall that he was considering retirement. After discussions, Phillips came to the decision to retire next February.

“When COVID came, it changed a lot of dynamics and gave me some time to reflect on my life, my work life,” Phillips told The Athletic. “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.”

McCaskey talked about what stood out about Phillips’ 39-year tenure with the organization.

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

Phillips’ lasting legacy appears to be his involvement in laying groundwork on the Bears’ proposed Arlington Heights stadium. The team is set to unveil conceptual plans next Thursday.

According to The Athletic, the organization has already started the search for Phillips’ replacement. McCaskey, Phillips and senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion Tanesha Wade are working with the search firm Nolan Partners.

Pompei noted some potential in-house replacements in senior vice president of marketing and communications Scott Hagel and senior vice president and legal counsel Cliff Stein.

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Bears Wire Podcast: Ownership continues to be Chicago’s biggest problem

We discuss Pace and Nagy’s firings, the problem with ownership and the start of the Bears’ head coach and GM search.

It was a big week for the Chicago Bears after firing both head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. The organization, frustrated with the lack of production, began their head coach and GM searches this week.

While the Bears have cast a pretty wide net of candidates on the head coach and GM side of things, fans are having a difficult time having hope that Chairman George McCaskey will get it right this time. Even with the help of Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian.

You have to give credit to McCaskey for making the decision to part ways with both Nagy and Pace, as many believed Pace could stick around for his third head coach hire. But that’s where the positivity ends.

McCaskey spent an entire hour on Monday telling fans he’s not a football evaluator and asking them to have hope that he’ll get it right. McCaskey will be joined by Polian, President Ted Phillips (why?), VP of Player Engagement Lamar ‘Soup’ Campbell and Senior VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Tanesha Wade in his search.

But this entire week has been a reminder that, while Nagy and Pace were part of the problem, ownership remains the biggest issue with this franchise. And with this hiring process mirroring 2015 — substitute Polian for Ernie Accorsi — it’s a reminder that nothing has changed.

As the Bears prepare for an important offseason, host Ryan O’Leary (@RyanO_Leary) and myself (@AlyssaBarbieri) are discussing Pace and Nagy’s firings, the problem with ownership and the start of the Bears’ head coach and GM search.

You can listen to this season’s final episode below:

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Most embarrassing moments from Bears Chairman George McCaskey’s press conference

From insulting Olin Kreutz to George McCaskey’s mom being ‘very, very disappointed,’ the most embarrassing moments from McCaskey’s presser.

The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace on Monday morning, which left Bears fans feeling uncharacteristically hopeful that things might actually change.

But much like Nagy’s second-half collapses, Monday went from great to hopeless once Chairman George McCaskey took center stage later that afternoon.

McCaskey met the Chicago media for roughly an hour, where he addressed everything from Nagy and Pace’s firings to the search efforts for a new head coach and GM. But with McCaskey, even a routine end-of-year press conference always seems to develop into an absolute disaster.

While many didn’t think it could get worse than last year’s press conference, it’s right up there with it.

Here’s a look at some of the most embarrassing moments from McCaskey (and Phillips) during their press conference:

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Polian will assist Bears as they begin GM, head coaching search

Remember the guy who thought Lamar Jackson should be converted to a WR? He’s now helping the Bears find their next head coach and GM.

The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace on Monday, which left Bears fans with some hope that perhaps things might actually change for the better.

Unfortunately, that didn’t last.

Remember the guy who thought Lamar Jackson should be converted to a wide receiver? He’s now in charge with spearheading the search for Chicago’s next head coach and GM.

Bears Chairman George McCaskey announced that Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian will help him conduct the search for the team’s next head coach and GM.

And, yes, President/CEO Ted Phillips will also be part of those searches, although he is no longer in charge of football operations.

There’s an eerie sense of deja vu as this situation is reminiscent of 2015, when the Bears consulted Ernie Acorsi to help in their head coach and GM search after firing Marc Trestman and Phil Emery. That searched ended with Pace and John Fox, and we saw how well that went.

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Bears fans blasted George McCaskey after it’s clear nothing’s changed with organization

Bears Chairman George McCaskey met with the media following Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace’s firings. It did not not go well.

The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace on Monday, which left fans riding a high of optimism following those moves, which appeared to indicate the organization was taking things seriously.

That all changed when Chairman George McCaskey took center stage during his press conference.

There’s plenty to digest from McCaskey’s embarrassing presser, but the main takeaway is that it’s clear nothing has changed with the Bears organization. President/CEO Ted Phillips is still involved with the head coach and GM search; there’s still no head of football operations to run things; and McCaskey is unqualified to operate in the manner he is.

Substitute Nagy, Pace and Bill Polian (who is going to help spearhead the head coach and GM searches), and you’ve got 2015 all over again.

As you can imagine, Bears fans had plenty of harsh words for McCaskey, starting with how it’s clear this franchise isn’t going anywhere so long as he’s running the show.

Report: GM Ryan Pace expected to remain with Bears organization

A new report indicates that Ryan Pace will remain with the Bears organization beyond 2021. Whether that’s as GM remains to be seen.

We’re just one week away from the start of the Chicago Bears offseason, which is going to feature some big changes. The most prominent is Matt Nagy’s impending firing. But there are also questions about the rest of the front office.

General manager Ryan Pace’s future isn’t set in stone, and there have been reports about a restructure in the front office, which could include a new role for President/CEO Ted Phillips.

According to Hub Arkush, it doesn’t sound like Pace is going anywhere as he’s expected to remain with the Bears organization. But whether he’s still the GM remains to be seen.

“What I’ve heard from several good sources is that Ryan is probably going to be remaining with the organization (in some capacity),” Arkush told 670 the Score. “…It’s better than 50-50 that Ryan Pace sticks around.”

This lines up with previous reports that have indicated the Bears were doing their homework on potential GM replacements for Pace. But even if Pace is out as GM, it doesn’t mean he’s out of the Bears organization entirely, as Chairman George McCaskey is quite fond of Pace.

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Our New Year’s Resolutions for the Bears in 2022

With the arrival of 2022, there’s hope that things can and will get better for the Bears. But here’s what they need to do:

The Chicago Bears didn’t have a very good year in 2021. With the exception of drafting of quarterback Justin Fields, it was a pretty rough year for fans and the franchise in general. But with the arrival of 2022, there’s hope that things can and will get better.

There are plenty of things that the Bears need to address this offseason to better their football team for the upcoming season — which starts at the top. But if Chicago is going to right the ship this season, they’re going to need to do several things.

Here are our New Year’s resolutions for the Bears in 2022:

Everything to know about Matt Nagy’s impending firing, coaching search and potential changes within Bears front office

We’re breaking down everything you need to know about Matt Nagy’s impending firing and the potential changes coming for Bears at Halas Hall.

The Chicago Bears are nearing the end of what’s been a tumultuous 2021 season. But things are about to get interesting heading into an offseason of change.

Following an embarrassing season, where Chicago will finish with a losing record following back-to-back .500 seasons, it sounds like change is finally on the way. Bears head coach Matt Nagy is expected to be fired at season’s end, which is just one of other potential changes within the organization this offseason.

We’re breaking down everything you need to know about Nagy’s impending firing and the potential changes coming at Halas Hall.