The Chicago Bears are just in the early stages of their coaching search to replace Matt Eberflus, with plenty of NFL rumors already emerging about top candidates who could be on Chicago’s radar. However, there have also been some reports about the hierarchy and alignment of the Bears front office.
Chicago hired general manager Ryan Poles in 2022, assigning him the task of overhauling the roster and finding a franchise quarterback. The Bears roster has since improved and Caleb Williams has proven he can be the face of the franchise but there seem to be underlying issues remaining in Chicago.
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Part of the problem seems to stem from the hiring of team president Kevin Warren, who joined the Bears’ organization in 2023 after previously serving as the Big Ten commissioner. When Chicago fired Eberflus, Warren led the press conference, addressed questions from reports and seemed to be handling the public-facing responsibilities ahead of a coaching search that would typically belong to a general manager.
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In the days since, NFL rumors have surfaced that Poles is frustrated by Warren’s level of influence over the Bears’ football operations. While Chicago’s general manager is widely believed to be safe, his experience with Warren seems to align with what the team president’s former peers have said about him.
On Wednesday’s episode of the Inside Coverage, senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports shared that he’s heard for years that Warren is well-known for coming into organizations and trying to obtain as much power as he possibly can.
“What I’ve always heard about Kevin Warren and I’ve heared consistently throughout his career, he is a guy who when he goes in, he tries to gather as much power up as he can and he tries to hold that power and he tries to wield that power.”
Charles Robinson on Chicago Bears team president Kevin Warren
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Warren previously worked for the Detroit Lions from 2001-’03, a team Robinson used to cover as a beat reporter in Detroit. Chicago’s current team president also had a lengthy stint with the Minnesota Vikings, starting as vice president of legal affairs and chief administration officer from 2005-2014 before becoming the Vikings’ COO from 2015-’19.
The actions he’s taken since becoming the Bears’ president seem to provide merit to the reputation he has around football. He seems to have the full support of the McCaskey family, which allowed him to seemingly become the face of the Bears’ coaching search.
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If Poles’ concerns are legitimate, it would add credibility to some questions from around the league regarding the Bears’ organizational hierarchy and who is making the decisions. If the concerns are shared, it could have a significant impact on the Bears coaching search with some top candidates (Ben Johnson) potentially less likely to take the job due to the lack of continuity in the front office.