New Report Suggest That Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren Could Ditch Conference For NFL Gig

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Kevin Warren took over as the commissioner of the Big Ten Conference in 2020 following the retirement of long-time commish Jim Delaney.

Warren, who had spent the previous 20 years of his career as an NFL executive, immediately came under fire for his handling of the conference’s operations during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though he’s since said that he has no regrets about the way he handled business during the extremely uncertain times.

Most recently, Warren has earned praise for leading the Big Ten’s expansion plans. He oversaw the additions of USC and UCLA to the conference, which will officially take place in 2024. And he’s also helped the conference land the most lucrative television deal in the history of college sports.

But that may well be the last major contribution that Warren makes to the Big Ten Conference.

Report Names Big Ten Commish Kevin Warren As Leading Candidate For Chicago Bears Job

ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel dropped a bombshell on Thursday afternoon when he revealed that Warren is a leading candidate for Chicago Bears’ President/CEO job.

“Sources: Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren has emerged as a top candidate to be the next president/CEO of the Chicago Bears. He’s interviewed in person for the job and is considered among the final candidates. The process is expected to wrap up in the upcoming weeks,” the tweet read.
Though the Bears maintain that they’ve yet to determine a favorite or set a timeline in their search.

Warren served as the CEO for the Minnesota Vikings from 2015-19 prior to taking the job with the Big Ten. Current Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips announced he will retire following the 2022 season.

The news about Warren shocked the college football world.

But it made plenty of sense to others.

Warren potentially leaves the Big Ten with a mixed legacy. Many fans never got over the way he handled the COVID situation. But the conference is now in a strong position thanks in large part to the commissioner.
Bears fans will hope he can now do the same for them.