Kevin Warren Expected To "Shake S**t Up" As Bears President

The Chicago Bears will introduce Kevin Warren as their new team president on Tuesday, January 17th. It is a monumental hire for several reasons. He is the first African-American to hold the position in franchise history and only the third person overall in the past 40 years. If that weren't enough, he is also the first to come in as an outsider. Michael McCaskey and Ted Phillips were both promoted from inside the organization. Warren comes in as the former commissioner of the Big Ten conference.

He brings quite a legacy with him. Since joining the higher ranks of sports front offices, he's had success. He helped the Rams win a Super Bowl in 1999 and was instrumental in multiple winning seasons with the Minnesota Vikings from 2005 to 2019. His time as commissioner saw the Big Ten grow into probably the second most powerful conference in college football behind the SEC. One way he's done this is by being a forward-thinker. He isn't afraid of change. Courtney Cronin of ESPN asked around about the Bears' new president.

One answer she got back often was expecting him to ignore the status quo.

“He’s a progressive visionary,” one league source said. “He’s not afraid to shake s--- up. And I think he’ll [make] them current.”

“He brought things to the table that would make you think and realize there are other ways to do things,” University of Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle said. “He sees the big picture. He can make these multibillion-dollar decisions, but at the end of the day, his focus is on relationships. That’s why I think he’s so successful.”

Kevin Warren is interested only in being the best.

That isn't just on the field but in the business aspect too. He wants his organization to be the envy of the NFL. His work on U.S. Bank Stadium for the Vikings is a perfect example. Warren was instrumental in developing that project and it became one of the highest-rated venues in sports, not just football. He'll have a chance to do the same for the Bears when work begins on their Arlington Heights stadium in a few years. That likely won't be the only change he makes. Certain people that have held sway in Halas Hall for a long time won't be around much longer.

It is a new era. Out with the old and in with the new. This franchise has desperately needed a breath of fresh air for decades. Chicago has long been accused of being too backward and stuck in the past. Kevin Warren will change that. He will never stop searching for ways to give his team an edge. Having somebody like that holding the top job is always a good thing. It sets a standard for everybody else. He and GM Ryan Poles should end up having a productive partnership.