When Ryan Poles arrived in 2022, he immediately understood the Chicago Bears were a team in transition. They’d kickstarted the long process of leaving Soldier Field for a new stadium. It also quickly became evident that longtime team president Ted Phillips would be retiring soon. That meant Poles would be dealing with a new boss at some point in the near future. After a thorough search process, the McCaskey family opted for veteran executive Kevin Warren, who was Big Ten commissioner at the time.
Most people thought this was the first time Poles and Warren had ever talked to each other when the hire was made. As it turns out, that is not true. Those two had crossed paths not long before Poles was hired. Courtney Cronin of ESPN unveiled this fascinating detail in an in-depth look at the Bears GM’s rise. It turns out Warren caught wind of him interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings. Having worked there for years as a top executive, he felt he could offer Poles some worthwhile insight into the organization.
The team president came away impressed.
Kevin Warren was the Big Ten commissioner in 2022 when Poles went through his second wave of interviews, including with the Minnesota Vikings, with whom Warren spent 15 years.
“I actually called Ryan unsolicited, because he was interviewing for the Bears job and the Vikings job at the same time,” Warren said. “I wanted to make sure that whatever information I had about Minnesota that I could share with him.
“I called the NFL office and got Ryan’s number and called Ryan, introduced myself and said, ‘Look, I was at the Vikings, and it’s a great environment. I just wanted to give you some insight.'”
Warren has become more than an adviser to Poles. The Bears named Warren as team president on Jan. 12, less than two weeks before hiring Poles.
“When I hung up that phone call, I said to myself, ‘That guy is special,'” Warren said. “And wherever he is, he’s gonna be highly successful, and he’s gonna do a great job and he’s gonna win multiple Super Bowl trophies.“
It now makes sense why Kevin Warren took the Bears job.
Not only was it a great opportunity to run one of the charter franchises in the NFL, but it also let him get to work with somebody he thinks has a bright future. That phone call may have impacted Warren’s decision to leave the Big Ten more than people realize. Many were shocked he took the job. That commissioner job is high profile with plenty of perks. Leaving that for an organization clearly entering a rebuilding phase felt odd. It didn’t matter. Warren sensed something.
He saw a franchise looking to shed a past littered with disappointment and embark on a true modernization. A new stadium is one part of that. Kevin Warren knew he was perfect for that job, having been instrumental in helping Minnesota establish the widely-acclaimed U.S. Bank Stadium. Then there was Poles. Clearly, he has established a new culture in Chicago, bringing several new ideas to the organization while respecting its tradition and identity.
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Warren has been part of the process ever since. The two seem to have a strong working relationship already. Their vision is shared. It’s all about building a team that will be the envy of the NFL. The Bears aren’t there yet, but it feels like things are trending in the right direction.
