George McCaskey is Reportedly Upset With Kevin Warren For Stadium Debacle

Kevin Warren has several important responsibilities as the Chicago Bears' team president. However, none is more important than breaking ground on the team's proposed stadium.

It's hard to fault the Bears' ownership for thinking he was the right man for the job. After all, he helped the Minnesota Vikings build the state-of-the-art U.S. Bank Stadium in a similar role for their franchise.

Unfortunately, he seems to have been woefully unprepared to deal with the Illinois government. His efforts to spearhead a new stadium for the Bears have failed miserably every step of the way.

Bears owner George McCaskey has reportedly reached his boiling point with Warren after this week's latest development on the stadium front.

Is Kevin Warren in hot water? Told Bears owner George McCaskey is livid with his president and CEO for his handling of Thursday’s series of events. What a colossal mess this has turned out to be. That said, Arlington Heights is still very much in the picture.
— George Ofman (@georgeofman) February 21, 2026

Coming from George Ofman, that tweet should not be taken as speculation. It's got serious weight to it. He's been in the Chicago sports media scene since the early 80s. He has sources, and it's safe to assume they're credible.

How has Warren earned George McCaskey's ire? Well, for starters, he reportedly wasn't present at a meeting with Illinois state officials on Wednesday.

Gov. Pritzker adds that Kevin Warren “chose not to be in that meeting” yesterday in which the team and state officials “mostly agreed on a bill.” The Bears, the governor said, told his staff today that their statement “was not some confirmation that they’re moving to Indiana.” https://t.co/OfKSGI72Mo pic.twitter.com/Hcjy5PYsgO
— Brenden Moore (@brendenmoore13) February 19, 2026

Instead, the team announced their intention to move forward with building a stadium in Hammond the following day.

Statement from the #Bears: https://t.co/Ux3zTTgYXN pic.twitter.com/uslKm6YW68
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 19, 2026

The 'Hammond Bears'. It's got a ring to it, doesn't it? George McCaskey certainly doesn't think so.

Truly, what a generational headache this situation has been. Unfortunately, this was only the latest in a long line of fumbles and gaffes at the hands of Warren throughout this entire situation.

From buying the old Arlington Heights racetrack one month after being hired (which effectively eliminated any previous negotiating power they had), to putting out a love letter to the fans informing them of their intention to potentially break ground in Indiana ahead of the Bears biggest game in 15 years (it hit the airwaves three days before their Week 16 matchup against Green Bay), to Thursday's announcement about said proposed development, he's consistently dropped the ball. Literally every step of the way.

It's difficult to pin the entire debacle on Warren, as Illinois lawmakers should also shoulder some of the blame for the breakdown in communication. However, it's difficult to blame anyone other than Warren for the most recent development. He didn't even show up to Wednesday's meeting??

Notably, Ofman also mentioned that Arlington Heights is still very much in the picture for the Bears. So, could it just be another leverage play? Has the Bears' flirtation with Indiana really all been smoke and mirrors? I honestly don't think so at this point (I previously did), but it appears Illinois still has a chance for a Hail Mary at the eleventh hour.

They better not miss, either. They are in serious danger of losing the 'pride and joy of Illinois' if they don't play their cards right. That would be a big blow to both sides of the aisle (and it's mainly Warren's responsibility to avoid that).

It should come as no surprise that McCaskey is upset with the situation. In the end, it's his reputation that's on the line. He will always be remembered as the man who moved his grandfather's team out of Chicago (even if Wolf Lake is a stone's throw from the border). You'd have to think that would be a heavy weight to carry.

It's really anyone's guess as to where this saga will go next. Seemingly, nobody has any idea where the Bears are going to break ground (supposedly) in 2027.

And for Kevin Warren, that's a problem.

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