The Chicago Bears are going through changes a lot these days. They already have a new GM and a new coach. Less than a decade from now, they’re likely to have a new stadium. Then for the first time in 23 years, they will have a new team president when Ted Phillips retires next year. It will end 40 years of service to the McCaskey family. While nobody can dispute Phillips did tremendous work building the Bears into a major financial success, most fans won’t remember him for that.
They will see a glorified accountant with zero football background getting to make football decisions for over two decades. He was a primary voice in hiring guys like Dick Jauron, Marc Trestman, Phil Emery, John Fox, Ryan Pace, and Matt Nagy. His legacy will come down to six playoff appearances, five winning records, and a Super Bowl loss in 2006. There is a strong possibility that his final ten seasons on the job will have only two winning records.
No wonder Bears fans want him gone.
Now that his exit is a foregone conclusion, the discussion will shift to his eventual replacement. It presents a significant opportunity for George McCaskey. Rather than put a pure money guy in charge of a football organization, he could perhaps put somebody with an actual football background in charge. There are plenty of viable candidates. Longtime general counsel and contract negotiator Cliff Stein is one option. Top NFL agent and former Bears defensive end Trace Armstrong is another.
Neither appears to be realistic, though. Not according to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog. He’s been on top of the Bears’ power shift from the beginning of last year. Armstrong is somebody the McCaskeys would like, but it’s felt he won’t leave his lucrative agent business for the post. There is another name they may have in mind.
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When it comes to next Bears president I don’t believe it’ll be an in-house hire like Cliff Stein. And while I believe Trace Armstrong is someone on the Bears wish list, I don’t think he’s interested.
Name to watch: former Northwestern AD & current ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips.
— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) September 6, 2022
Jim Phillips makes a ton of sense for the Chicago Bears.
Start with the experience. The guy is running one of the top sports conferences in college athletics. He is no stranger to balancing sports and business. That is especially true for football. His first big post came in 2004 when he took over as athletic director for Northern Illinois University. During his five seasons there, the program reached three bowl games. The first came in 2004, breaking a drought that had lasted since 1983. They won two MAC-West division titles too.
That success helped Phillips get the same job at the prestigious Northwestern, a post he would hold all the way through 2020. The program experienced the most sustained success in school history during that time. They finished with a winning record eight times, won five of nine bowl games, and finished his last year ranked 10th in the nation. It was the highest ranking the program had managed in almost a quarter century.
Phillips was born and raised in the Chicago area. He knows the region and the people.
So why is he the circled name to watch? That is easy. Chicago Bears minority owner Pat Ryan holds a lot of sway inside Halas Hall. He is also a member of Northwestern’s board of trustees. Their football field is named after him. Ryan knows Phillips both personally and professionally. It isn’t a shock the longtime business tycoon would push to bring him back to Chicago when the opportunity arose.
What isn’t clear is whether Phillips would take the post. He has always been a college guy. It would be a substantial change to take over an NFL franchise. That said, he will likely never get an opportunity like this again in his life. It is a dream job. Keep the name in mind.
Let’s see what happens. Call me crazy but I think Team President of the Chicago Bears would be a pretty lucrative position for Trace Armstrong.
Peyton Manning. My vote
Just get ole Ernie to tell you what to do. But don’t give us any more Greg Gabriel history lessons. Phillips botched the Soldier Field renovation that created the Monstrosity of the Midway. He finally learned that dealing with the City was a stupid idea so 20 years too late decided it was time to move west.
Pat Ryan is exactly why they shouldn’t hire this guy! And the fact that he’s NEVER done anything at the pro level is another reason. The guy that was mentioned the other day from the Kansas City Chiefs is probably the best available and qualified to handle such a position on the pro level. AND he has a good working connection to GM Poles.
too white and too male, lol.