Not to slight Ted Phillips, but it appears new Bears CEO/President Kevin Warren has been given the keys to football operations --- something Phillips never truly had full control of.
The Athletic's Diana Russini recently reported how the structure of the Bears is built from her knowledge.
"In terms of the power and the control there, Kevin Warren has been brought in there," Russini said on The Herd. "He really started doing the work in Chicago. He was hired in January but really in April. So he's really trying to take that time to take a look at all of it --- the quarterback position, the coaching staff --- and really try to make an unemotional decision into how he sees the Chicago Bears organization.
"From staying on that story and following it all season long, and obviously having those conversations, I do see Chicago not only moving on from their head coach, but I do see them getting back in the quarterback market."
If you can recall, Warren was hired by the Bears last January and began working in April. Before he arrived, general manager Ryan Poles was to report to chairman George McCaskey, not then CEO/President Phillips.
But, upon getting Warren on the payroll, McCaskey transferred his powers back to the president. Now, Poles reports to Warren, who oversees not only the future stadium endeavors the Bears plan to embark upon but also football operations, according to Russini's reports.
Chicago Bears
Obviously, Poles and McCaskey both have a say on the team's big-ticket issues i.e. whether or not to move off of head coach Matt Eberflus or whether or not to keep Justin Fields or go quarterback hunting.
But, taking from Russini's report, it appears Warren is in the driver's seat.
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It's tough to read what Russini meant by Warren trying to make an "unemotional decision" about the direction he plans to take the Bears organization. Is she referring to the past dispute Warren and Fields once had in a debate about the continuation of the Big Ten football season during the COVID-19 pandemic?
That seems unlikely. It's well-known the two buried the hatchet and moved forward. What's more, Warren attended Fields' graduation from Ohio State University back in May. There doesn't appear to be any bitterness there.
Either way, Warren's reported power over the Bears organization changes things. Poles has been a steadfast supporter of Eberflus. What does Warren think of him? Poles also stuck with Fields at quarterback this season, opting not to draft a new one. Does Warren want a new quarterback?
Russini believes the Bears will move off both Eberflus and Fields. That would mean the Bears would staff their third new head coach in just four years. It would also end Fields' three-year tenure in Chicago, likely motivating the Bears to trade him elsewhere. Are those moves the right call for the organization?
That's for Kevin Warren to answer.
