Chicago Bears begin requesting head coach interviews, including an ex-Packers coach | Reports
The Chicago Bears' offseason has begun, and the team is wasting no time requesting interviews with potential head coaching candidates.
According to multiple reports, the Bears have requested interviews with a handful of coordinators across the league.
They wasted no time requesting interviews with two NFC North coordinators.
Here is a list of the active NFL coordinators Bears have reportedly requested interviews with.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
In one of the most unsurprising developments, the Bears are requesting to interview Johnson, according to multiple reports.
Johnson's resume is impressive – the Lions have the best offense in the NFL and he's turned quarterback Jared Goff into an MVP candidate – and he's going to be the most sought-after candidate on the market.
The Bears did not waste a second getting an interview with him locked down.
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
Glenn's name has risen as the Lions' defense has taken over. The Bears, Jets and Saints have all requested an interview with Glenn, according to multiple reports.
Glenn's offense is fresh off winning the NFC North by holding the Minnesota Vikings to nine points. The Lions ranked seventh in the league in points allowed per game.
Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Bears are requesting to interview Petzing, the Cardinals' offensive coordinator. The Bears saw him first hand this season in a 29-9 loss to the Cardinals.
Petzing's offense ranked 12th in the league in points per game, and he oversaw Kyler Murray's 2024 season where he threw for 3,851 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
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Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver
Weaver was linked to the Bears by Russini last week. She reported Poles was doing "serious homework" on Weaver as a head coaching candidate. Weaver interviewed for head coaching jobs last year, too.
Weaver has been in the NFL since the 2012 season, and just finished his first season in Miami as its defensive coordinator. Before that, he was the assistant head coach and defensive line coach for the Baltimore Ravens.
New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Bears requested to speak to Giants' offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. He's familiar with Chicago. He was a former quarterback for the Northwestern Wildcats.
Kafka is a Chicago native and a St. Rita high school alum. He played in the NFL from 2010 to 2015. He spent 2017 to 2021 working under Andy Reid in Kansas City before moving to New York. He was promoted to assistant head coach this past season.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith
The Bears are requesting to interview Smith, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who coached Justin Fields in Pittsburgh last season. Smith has an offensive acumen that's well-regarded from his time coaching the Titans' offense.
Smith was the head coach in Atlanta for three seasons, going 21-30. He was fired at the end of the 2023 season. Smith was also the offensive coordinator in Tennessee, where the Titans ranked fourth in scoring and second in total yards in the 2020 season.
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores
The Bears are also requesting to interview Flores, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Bears know him well as the Vikings defensive coordinator for the last two seasons.
Flores made a name for himself as the defensive play caller for the New England Patriots. He won four Super Bowls with the Patriots, calling defensive plays in Super Bowl LIII where New England shut down Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams. As the head coach in Miami, Flores went 24-25 with a 10-6 season in 2020, but never made the playoffs.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys talks with a referee on the sidelines during the 2nd quarter of the game against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium on November 30, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Ph
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy
This one is more of a surprise. Schefter reported the Bears asked to interview McCarthy, who is still under contract with the Cowboys. That contract expires at the end of the 2024 season.
McCarthy, who coached the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018, is 19-7 lifetime against the Bears and won the NFC North six times in Green Bay. He won the NFC East twice in his Cowboys tenure, and has a 174-122 overall coaching record.
It needs to be said that the Cowboys have to give McCarthy permission. However, if the Bears really want to talk with him, Chicago can interview him after his exclusive negotiating window with the Cowboys expires on Jan. 14.
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Bears are also asking to interview Todd Monken. As Baltimore's offensive coordinator, the Ravens have curated a top-rated running game led by quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Under Monken, Jackson was the NFL's 2023 MVP and is expected to challenge for his third MVP after a stellar 2024 season.
Monken was also the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs for two seasons and won two College Football Playoff national titles. He was also the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccanners and Cleveland Browns.
Former Stanford head coach and current Broncos senior personnel executive David Shaw
This is a bit of a curveball.
Rapoport reported the Bears are requesting to interview Shaw, who last spent time as a head coach in the 2022 college football season coaching Stanford.
Shaw does have some NFL acumen, as he worked in the NFL from 1997 to 2005 in a coaching capacity, and he's worked under Broncos head coach Sean Payton the last two seasons.
Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady
Schefter reported the Bears have requested to interview Brady, who brings experience with great quarterbacks.
Under Brady, Bills quarterback Josh Allen has transformed into an MVP candidate. Before that, Brady is well-known for developing Joe Burrow into a Heisman winner at LSU.
His only other offensive coordinator job was with the Carolina Panthers under then-head coach Matt Rhule. He was fired in December 2021.