Kevin Warren arrived in 2022 as the new team president of the Chicago Bears. He certainly talked a big game, insisting he would do everything necessary to help the organization modernize and become one of the NFL’s first-class franchises. It was time to dream big. That began with the construction of a state-of-the-art new stadium. There were grand plans. Warren shifted the focus away from Arlington Heights and back to downtown Chicago, believing it was where the Bears belonged and where the most money could be made for everybody.
Three years later, nothing has materialized. The team still hasn’t broken ground to begin construction. In fact, they still haven’t chosen an actual building site. Warren recently sent a letter to season ticket holders stating that the Bears are reopening their search for a new home, this time including northwest Indiana. It was the latest evidence that the team president hasn’t been able to find any common ground with the Illinois state government, something he was supposed to be an expert at, given his work in Minnesota with U.S. Bank Stadium.
People inside the building have informed SM that ownership is souring on Warren rapidly due to many missed timelines and broken promises. His ideas sound grand, but they are often not grounded in current realities.
Kevin Warren is proving to be more politician than anything else.
He seeks the spotlight way more than most team presidents, makes all sorts of promises, but more often than not can’t follow through on them. He’s made more public appearances in the past six months than Ted Phillips did in his last decade on the job. The only thing accomplished to this point was securing the Arlington Heights property, and that was Phillips’ work. Warren merely inherited. In reality, he hasn’t accomplished anything notable in the three years he’s held the position. The longer this stadium saga goes on, the worse it looks.
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Other organizations are already entering the main phase of constructing new buildings. It seems that the Bears are the only ones unable to make headway, despite promising to pay more privately than any other team. If Kevin Warren can’t sell that to the state, what is he good for? This is why there is genuine buzz inside Halas Hall that he could get fired if this goes on much longer. The McCaskeys are known for being patient, but even they have limits. Phillips had their trust from being able to get Soldier Field renovated in the early 2000s.
Warren is barely treading water, and that was with him already getting a head start with a purchased property in place. His fancy words won’t protect him forever.
