Bears Make Announcement on Packers OC Adam Stenavich

The Chicago Bears have now interviewed at least one coordinator from each of their NFC North rivals as a candidate for their 2025 head-coaching vacancy.

On Saturday afternoon, the Bears announced they had completed a virtual interview with Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich for their head-coaching job for the 2025 season after requesting permission to speak with him earlier last week.

“We have completed an interview with head coach candidate Adam Stenavich,” the Bears announced on their official X account on January 19.

Stenavich has steadily climbed the coaching ladder with the Packers over the past six seasons. While he began as the offensive line coach on Matt LaFleur’s initial staff in 2019, he added the “run-game coordinator” title in 2021 and ascended to the offensive coordinator role in 2022 when Nathaniel Hackett became Denver’s new head coach.

Under Stenavich’s guidance in 2024, the Packers finished with a top-10 scoring offense and averaged the fifth-most rushing yards (146.8) and total yards (370.8) in the NFL. The offensive line — Stenavich’s specialty — also gave up a second-fewest 22 sacks.

Stenavich is the fourth in-division coordinator to interview for the top job in Chicago. The Bears also had interviews with both Detroit Lions coordinators — Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn — and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Stenavich is also the 16th candidate with whom the Bears have announced an interview.

Adam Stenavich Worked Way Up With OL Expertise

Stenavich has not generated the buzz of some of the other offensive candidates the Bears have interviewed for their head-coaching job, including Johnson, Buffalo’s Joe Brady and Baltimore’s Todd Monken. One thing that does stand out about his resume, though, is that he has a knack for developing offensive linemen at the NFL level.

The Bears could use someone with Stenavich’s expertise heading into an offseason in which they could replace as many as four starters on their offensive line. All three of their interior starters from 2024 — Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton and Matt Pryor — will become free agents at the start of the new league year in March, while left tackle Braxton Jones is working his way back from an ankle injury that ended his season.

Stenavich is also not a retread of Luke Getsy, the former Packers quarterbacks coach-turned-Bears offensive coordinator who flamed out after just two seasons in Chicago. Stenavich has earned his reputation both in how he’s handled his established veterans and developed his younger players into stars, whereas most of Getsy’s credentials — when the Bears hired him in 2022 — were linked to the success of Aaron Rodgers.

Whether that equates to a quality head coach is for the Bears to decide, but it certainly gives them another angle to consider as they focus on their offense’s long-term future.

Bears Keeping an Offensive Focus in Coaching Search

The Bears have cast a wide net in their head-coaching search, interviewing 16 different candidates — including Stenavich — over the first two weeks of the 2025 NFL offseason. Primarily, though, they have gravitated toward offensive-minded candidates for the job.

The Bears have said they want a “leader of men” and are open to hiring someone for the job who does not have an offensive background, but nearly 70% of their candidate list (11 of 16 interviews) are offensive coordinators or coaches with a history on offense. Two of the outliers are also Mike Vrabel (since hired in New England) and Brian Flores, who both have previous experience as NFL head coaches despite defensive focuses.

Of course, nobody would fault Chicago for hiring an offensive-minded coach. They have a potential franchise quarterback in No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, who set multiple rookie franchise records and showed a great deal of arm talent in 2024 despite a lack of wins.

Finding a leader who can bring out the best in Williams and help unlock his superstar potential for the Bears should be one of their top priorities in their search — if not, their No. 1 focus apart from traditional qualities desired in the leader of a football team.