Who is Kevin Warren? Big Ten Commissioner front runner to become Bears CEO
Kevin Warren, commissioner of the Big Ten, is in the running for a top NFL front office job. Warren is a candidate to become the next CEO of the Chicago Bears. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Warren is one of the finalists for the position and has even been interviewed in person.
The search is projected to wrap up in January of next year. Warren was a longtime executive for the Minnesota Vikings. He later became the team's chief operating officer (COO).
The Bears released a statement on Twitter regarding their search to find a successor for longtime CEO Ted Phillips, who has spent almost four decades with the franchise, 23 of which as the team's CEO/President.
Statement from Bears on Pres. and CEO search:
“We have not set a timeline for announcing Ted Phillip’s successor. Our search team has cast a wide net, spoke to many outstanding candidates and looks forward to introducing our next President and CEO at the process’s conclusion.”
Warren worked for the St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions franchise, dating back to the 1990s. He possesses over 20 years of NFL experience. In January 2020, he officially took over for Delany just months prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin Warren has had a busy and interesting tenure as the commissioner of the Big Ten.
According to Thamel, Warren hasn't been offered a contract extension since taking over as Big Ten commissioner.
Thamel said:
"Warren began with the Big Ten in June 2019, becoming the first African American commissioner of a Power 5 conference. He has not been given a contract extension since coming aboard, and the length of his deal and any talks of an upcoming deal have not been discussed publicly by the league."
Warren dealt with general criticism for the way the conference managed the pandemic. This included postponing the Big Ten football season, only to change course a month later. Under his leadership, the Big Ten added Pac-12 teams USC and UCLA and also inked a seven-billion television deal with Fox, CBS and NBC. Now, the Chicago Bears could be his ticket back to the NFL.
Kevin Warren's salary: How much does Big Ten commissioner earn?
Per a USA Today article in May 2021, Warren's salary was disclosed and was credited with a total amount of $1.2 million. Annualized, that’s about $4.1 million. Although Kevin Warren started his term as commissioner on Jan. 2, 2020, his first day was on Sept. 16, 2019.
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