Bear Digest

Bears Looking at Raw Candidate After Being Rejected by Coaching Vet

Analysis: One coaching vet reportedly turned down the Bears in their OC hunt, and they are seeking to interview a dangerously raw candidate who is also coveted by Green Bay.
Gene Chamberlain|
Cardinals passing game coordinator Connor Senger is reportedly being sought by the Bears for an interview.
Cardinals passing game coordinator Connor Senger is reportedly being sought by the Bears for an interview. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

In this story:

Chicago Bears

Bears coach Ben Johnson beat Packers coach Matt LaFleur twice as he promised.

The two remain in competition into the offseason, apparently, because the first reported candidate for Bears offensive coordinator is a candidate for a Packers coaching staff position.

According to NFL Network, Johnson has sought permission from the Cardinals to interview Arizona pass game specialist Connor Senger for Bears offensive coordinator. Johnson would seem to have an upper hand in this recruitment because he can offer a higher position. The Packers are looking to talk to Senger for their vacant quarterbacks coach job.

Apparently the Bears aren't just looking for young guys to fill the job Declan Doyle had. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported they sought to interview 49-year-old Bengals receivers coach Troy Walters for offensive coordinator, but he chose to stay in Cincinnati.

The Bears are trying to replace offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who didn't call plays but now will get a chance to do it as Baltimore offensive coordinator. The Packers are trying to replace QB coach Sean Mannion, who went to Philadelphia as offensive coordinator.

Senger, 30, is very inexperienced but in the last two years was an offensive coach at the East-West Shrine All-Star Game and was a coordinator at this year's game. He left an impression on the all-star game's director of operations and player personnel, Eric Galko, according to Green Bay Packers On SI's Bill Huber.

"Connor is as bright, motivated, confident as an offensive play-caller, coach, leader as I’ve seen,” Galko told Huber. “He’s quietly considered a rising star. Obviously, he’s on the younger side, but I think people that work with him, myself included, can see pretty clearly that he is confident to lead a QB room, an offensive room."

Senger came into the NFL in 2022 out of North Dakota State as part of the Bill Bidwell Fellowship program and got a job the next year as quality control coach under Drew Petzing and head coach Jonathan Gannon. He was assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024 and passing game coordinator in 2025. That's the extent of his NFL coaching experience.

Gannon is now in Green Bay as defensive coordinator, while Petzing, Johnson's good friend, is the new Lions offensive coordinator.

Senger was also being sought for an interview as Bills quarterbacks coach under new coach Joe Brady.

Unlike former Bears offensive coordinator Doyle, Senger lacks a strong background in NFL coaching as an understudy type. Working under Petzing and Gannon isn't quite the same thing as working four seasons under Sean Payton in New Orleans and then two more under him in Denver.

The current Bears coaching staff has candidates on it at least as qualified as Senger to be an offensive coordinator, even in a setup man situation like Doyle was under Johnson before taking the Baltimore Ravens OC job last week.

Antwaan Randle El, J.T. Barrett and Press Taylor all would seem at least as qualified as Senger and are already on the Bears staff.

The Bills and Packers jobs might actually be a step down for Senger since it's only as QB coach. Senger didn't have the passing game cooridnator title but essentially had those duties. Maybe passing game coordinator might be more of a natural step up for him than offensive coordinator.

Bringing in someone from another staff and then immediately elevating him to coordinator over some coaches who have paid their dues is a dangerous way to operate, and Johnson will need to proceed with caution there. The fact they were interested in a 49-year-old coaching veteran says they're at least thinking of quality, but again there it would have been tricky because Randle El is a coaching veteran and Taylor is, as well, but they would have been bringing in someone ahead of them.

The fact two other teams are interested in Senger does reflect some coaching talent, though. And who can blame Johnson for trying to score yet another coup over LaFleur?

More Chicago Bears News

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter

X: BearsOnSI

Published | Modified
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.