We are less than a week away from the start of the Chicago Bears 2022 NFL regular season. There have been plenty of positives and also some road bumps along the way. However, in less than a week, we will get a real sense of what this Chicago Bears team can truly do.
Changes are brewing this year when it comes to the Chicago Bears and it all started when George McCaskey and Ted Phillips decided to part ways with Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy at the end of the 2021 season. One could say that it was a year too late, but early returns from their replacements could point to the timing being just right. McCaskey and Phillips looked to consultants to help them hire the right general manager. Hopefully, Ryan Poles turns out to be that guy.
With Ted Phillips retiring, who will take over his role as Chicago Bears President/CEO?
This offseason we all pushed for clarification on how the process would be handled. We pushed to find out how much control Ryan Poles had once he was hired. The responses were not great, but one caveat was that Ted Phillips would not be involved with football operations. Despite most of us wanting to see a true football mind take on a new role as President of Football Operations, while George McCaskey also wiped his hands clean, removing Phillips was at least a consolation prize.
Towards the beginning of the year, Jeff Hughes of DaBearsBlog hinted that Ted Phillips would be retiring soon. No one knew exactly when that was at the time, but Dan Pompei of The Athletic broke the story that Ted Phillips would be retiring at the end of the 2022 season. I think I can speak for most Bears fans when I say, hallelujah.
Nothing against Phillips from a personal standpoint. He sounds like a decent guy. However, nice guys usually finish last — or so they say. If we look back at the last 23 years of Phillips’ tenure, there has not been much success. The best pairing under Phillips’ watch was Jerry Angelo as general manager and Lovie Smith as head coach. The team saw a Super Bowl appearance in 2006 and five NFC North titles during that span. That’s just not good enough.
I’m not looking to bash Phillips here, that would be too easy. Instead, let’s look at some options the Chicago Bears might consider to replace him.
The Chicago Bears might turn to Cliff Stein as the next President and CEO
An obvious option that we might see take over for Ted Phillips is Cliff Stein. Stein is known as the contracts guru. He has been with the Chicago Bears since 2002, and he oversaw the salary cap for a large portion of his career here. He had an inside track to seeing both sides of the coin as a former player’s agent. Ryan Pace changed that in 2015 when he put Joey Laine in charge instead. We saw where that got the team.
Cliff Stein returned to that role again this year and it makes me wonder if the Roquan Smith situation is mostly at the fault of Smith not having a true agent. We will see if Stein can retain his title as contract guru as the team cleared a ton of cap space this season and left the door open for over $100 million in cap space next season. We will have to see how well Stein and Ryan Poles work together and if Stein will retain that role. If Stein replaces Phillips in 2023, they may have to look to replace him anyway.
Ted Phillips and Cliff Stein have worked together for years now and it would make sense for him to be the next in line. Stein is currently a Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Chicago Bears. Could the Bears and Phillips be grooming him this season for a possible takeover?
The Chicago Bears could look to promote Karen Murphy to replace Ted Phillips
Another option that the Chicago Bears could consider is promoting Karen Murphy. Similar to Cliff Stein, this would not be a football operations move. However, Murphy is viewed as a rising star in the business community. She was ranked in Crain’s Chicago Business’ 40 under 40 back in 2006. She was also featured in an NFL interview titled “Next Woman Up.” Currently, she is the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Chicago Bears.
An interesting part of her career is that she worked for Disney prior to coming to the Chicago Bears. In her interview, she spoke about how she pressured her boss at Disney to allow her to work on the Anaheim Angels account. Once she got the account, as a sports fan, she knew this is what she wanted to do. It didn’t take long for her to land the Chicago Bears job.
The most telling part of this interview was Murphy saying she wants to be a team president:
"I want to be a team president. I am grateful to the ownership of the Bears and my boss, because they continue to give me more responsibilities, and they have a lot of trust in me and allow me to take risks. They’ve allowed me to take a critical role on big projects and launch new departments. I’m a lifelong learner, and I’m never going to sit still, so the status quo is not good enough for me. I’m always creating new challenges, and being a team president, to me, would be the next big challenge."
Could Karen Murphy be the next replacement for Ted Phillips? She clearly has an inside track and with the state of the NFL looking to be more female-friendly, this could go a long way from a PR perspective. Not to mention, and more importantly, she has clearly made an impression and has earned it.
Could the Chicago Bears turn to former player Trace Armstrong?
This would almost be a swap from what the team currently has going on. Maybe with Ted Phillips stepping away, the Chicago Bears actually split their roles into two and create a Football Operations President. This could give them the ability to promote either Cliff Stein or Karen Murphy, two people who are more experienced on an accounting level than a football level while bringing in a football mind like Trace Armstrong.
There were already rumors of Armstrong being an option for a new role prior to the Ryan Poles hiring last year.
"I am hopeful the reason #ChicagoBears haven’t fired #Nagy & #RyanPace yet is because they are busy negotiating with Trace Armstrong to become Director of Football Operations & then HE CAN CLEAN HOUSE! Please Santa that’s all #Bears fans want for Christmas! #NFL"
— Peggy Kusinski (@peggykusinski) December 21, 2021
Peggy Kusinski was asked if this was just what she wanted or if she had a source on the matter. Her response was “both.”
Trace Armstrong is currently a coaches agent but played in the NFL as a defensive end for 15 years. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft. The question is, can Armstrong handle this type of role? He’s never done anything close to it before and I’m not sure the team can take on a risk of that magnitude right now.
The Chicago Bears could steal another personnel guy from the Chiefs
Why not pair Ryan Poles up with a guy he’s already worked with in the past? A guy who is ready to move up and take on a higher role. Chris Shea of the Kansas City Chiefs is currently the Vice President of Football Operations and Team Counsel. George McCaskey could look to bring him into Chicago by offering him the role of President. This would work well because Ryan Poles and Shea have shown an ability to work well in the past and it shouldn’t affect Poles’ current rebuilding process.
Shea has an interesting background. He is an attorney who has extensive knowledge and experience within the NFL. He has held various roles with the Jets, Dolphins, Eagles, and Cowboys before joining the Chiefs. He even worked within the NFL League front office.
Throughout his career, Shea has worked in legal, managed salary caps, and even helped oversee scouting. With his connection to Poles, it seems like he’d be the perfect fit and transition from Ted Phillips to a new President and CEO. I wonder if Ryan Poles will have any weight in helping decide who takes over Phillips’ role.
A few other names the Chicago Bears could consider replacing Ted Phillips
The four mentioned previously would be the top four I think the Chicago Bears would truly consider. However, there are plenty of quality names out there, and without direct access to those candidates means they might be overlooked. The interview process the Bears take for replacing Ted Phillips will be very important unless they just promote from within.
Here are a few names that could make sense.
Tony Pastoors, Los Angeles Rams – Vice President / Football & Business Administration
The NFL loves to replicate success. Who better to replicate than the reigning Super Bowl champions? Tony Pastoors is the Vice President of Football & Business Administration for the Los Angeles Rams. He has been helping the team find ways to bring in aging superstars while somehow remaining under the salary cap. Seems like a guy who deserves an interview to me.
Ed Lang, New Orleans Saints – Senior Vice President / Chief Financial Officer
What about the Chicago Bears turning back to the New Orleans Saints organization and stealing Ed Lang? Lang has been the CFO and SVP of the Saints for 10 years now. He has been responsible for overseeing multiple expansions and renovations to multiple playing and practice facilities. Sounds like a person the Bears could use as they transition to Arlington Heights in a few years.
Peyton Manning – Hall of Fame Quarterback / Television Announcer & Personality
Right now, Peyton Manning’s only role with the NFL is as an announcer with his brother for multiple games throughout the season. It has been reported, however, that Manning would one day like to run an NFL team from a football operations standpoint. Could the Chicago Bears be his opportunity? Doubtful as he’d probably see that role come from Denver before anywhere else. Personally, I don’t like this match with Ryan Poles unless their visions truly align.
Aileen Dagrosa, Philadelphia Eagles – Senior Vice President / General Counsel
Could the Chicago Bears take Ian Cunningham’s input and look to steal Aileen Dagrosa from the Philadelphia Eagles? Dagrosa is currently the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Eagles. She has been in the role since 2013 and has played a big part in all legal aspects ranging from player transactions, sponsorships, media agreements, employment-related issues, and many other business and football operations. She’d make for another solid candidate.
Where does the Chicago Bears roster rank in age vs. other NFL teams?
The Chicago Bears had the oldest roster in the NFL last season. Now, the team ranks tied as the seventh-youngest team. Will it make a difference?
Remember, these are just a few names to consider. I’d expect the team to take a similar approach to the general manager position by interviewing many candidates. I’d hope that Ryan Poles would be included in the interview process to some degree. I also hope that the Chicago Bears look to replace Ted Phillips with someone who has proven themselves within a successful organization. Let’s hope they don’t screw this one up Bears fans.