Kevin Warren was hired for many responsibilities by the Chicago Bears. The two broadest involve keeping the franchise a constant moneymaker for the McCaskey family like Ted Phillips did. The other is helping GM Ryan Poles to build a champion. He is fully committed to those ventures. However, there was a more specific reason ownership wanted Warren on board over other candidates. It was his experience helping an organization navigate the landscape for building a brand new stadium.
Warren played a pivotal role in the Minnesota Vikings’ efforts to construct the widely-lauded U.S. Bank Stadium. Now with the Bears having closed on the Arlington Park property, the next phase of the plan is underway. The team president-in-waiting made it clear there is no alternative. Any ideas of staying in Chicago are dead. He is 100% committed to the new property. When speaking to the media at the owner’s meetings in Arizona, Warren even provided a rough estimate of when the project can get done.
Once legislation and various political hurdles are cleared, he envisions a three-year timeline from putting the shovel in the ground to the building’s completion.
Kevin Warren likely sees a finish line.
If everything goes according to plan, he could have the Bears in their new home within five years at the most. Much of that depends on how difficult the Arlington Heights politicians will be. Red tape and bureaucracy in this state can be legendary. It will take some savvy negotiating maneuvers to navigate this landscape. This won’t be anything like Minnesota. Then again, Warren is no stranger to contentious talks. He encountered it many times during his stint as Big Ten commissioner. It’s unlikely he will be intimidated by this.
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One thing is for sure. Bears fans are excited to see this next chapter unfold. They’ve lived with the outdated property of Soldier Field for years. It doesn’t feel right, considering how much they pour into the organization year after year. The McCaskeys finally found their opportunity to break free and took it. Nobody can fault them for that. In Kevin Warren, they have a general to lead the way.
