Chicago Bears are expected to hire Big Ten commissioner as their new president/CEO
One of the biggest names in college sports is leaving his job to run the Bears' front office.
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren is expected to become the next President and CEO of the Bears, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The move doesn't came as too much of a surprise after a report surfaced that Warren had previously interviewed for the position and emerged as the frontrunner.
Warren will replace Ted Phillips, who announced in September that he would retire at the end of the season after 23 years in the role.
He is just the second Bears president � alongside Phillips � not to be related to founder George Halas.
Warren shocked the college sports world last summer when he lured UCLA and USC to the Big Ten from the Pac-12. They will join in 2024. Less than two months later, the Big Ten negotiated a lucrative media rights deal.
Warren's signing with the Bears isn't his first foray into NFL management. Before being Big Ten commissioner, Warren worked for the Minnesota Vikings and rose through the ranks to become their chief operating officer from 2015 to 2019.
The Bears are eyeing a new stadium in the years to come, and Warren's experience overseeing a stadium deal for the Vikings makes him a comfortable fit with the franchise's most significant upcoming project.
