CHICAGO — As the Bears' coaching search enters its second week, a notable name has been added to the long list of candidates.

The Dallas Cowboys announced Monday that they will not bring Mike McCarthy back for a sixth season after the two sides were unable to agree on terms of an extension. Chicago requested an interview with McCarthy while he was under contract in Dallas, but the Cowboys declined. Now that McCarthy has become a free agent, the Bears could talk to him as early as Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Bears' roster totals 19, including completed interviews (9), requested interviews (9) and a report from NFL Network regarding interest in speaking with Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman , his team will face Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 1. 20.

With the wild-card round over, Chicago could interview some interesting candidates, from Washington Commander offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Chicago general manager Ryan Boles has vowed to conduct a thorough search that will include some names that will "surprise" many as the Bears aim to dig deeper than before in their pursuit of the head coach. The goal remains to find a coach who can maximize the skills of former No. 1 pick Caleb Williams.

Below are the details of the candidates.

Interview completed

Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown: Brown interviewed with the Bears on Monday and also interviewed for the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator vacancy. No other coach had more insight into Williams and the Bears' offense than Brown, who was promoted twice during the season to offensive coordinator and interim head coach for Chicago's final five games.

Pete Carroll, former Seattle Seahawks HC: Carroll expressed interest in the Bears job in December, and this was the fourth interview the team held last week. He spent 14 seasons in Seattle, winning a Super Bowl championship there (2013) and a national championship with USC in 2004. Carroll, 74, is the most experienced head-coaching candidate the Bears are interested in, having also spent time with the Jets (1994) and Patriots (1997-1999). He serves as a consultant in Seattle through the 2024 season.

Aaron Glenn, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator: Glenn interviewed with the Bears during Detroit's first-round bye. Detroit is giving up 20.1 points per game (seventh-most) and has the NFL's best third-down defense (32.4 percent) to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Glenn is completing his fourth season in Detroit and previously coached defensive backs in New Orleans and Cleveland.

Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator: The biggest name in the coaching cycle completed a virtual interview with Chicago during his farewell season in Detroit and then interviewed with the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders. Johnson coordinated a Lions offense that ranked first in points scored (33.2) and second in yards per game (409.5). Johnson turned down a second head coaching interview with the Commanders last year and is in high demand this cycle.

Mike Kafka, New York Giants OC: Kafka and Poles overlapped for five seasons in Kansas City, four of which came when Kafka served as Patrick Mahomes' quarterbacks coach. Kafka has been the Giants' offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, spending most of the first two seasons before coach Brian Daboll took over play-calling in 2024 Lidu is directing the game. The Giants rank 30th in yards allowed and 31st in points allowed per game.

Drew Petzing, Arizona Cardinals OC: Petching overlapped with Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren for five seasons (2014-2018) in Minnesota, where he worked with the receivers and quarterbacks. After one season (2022) as Cleveland's quarterbacks coach, Petching serves as offensive coordinator at Arizona State, where he built a top-10 unit with quarterback Kyler Murray over the past two seasons. The rushing attack has thrown for 3,851 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season.

Ron Rivera, former CM and Carolina Panthers HC: Rivera was the first candidate the Bears interviewed in person on Jan. 12. He served as the head coach of two NFL teams (Washington and Carolina) for 13 years, achieving a record of 102 wins and 103 wins, and was named Coach of the Year twice. He also led the Panthers to Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season.

Rivera hasn't had a winning season in the NFL since 2017, but he has extensive experience building a culture that Poles, Warren and chairman George McCaskey believe will be critical to making the Bears Getting back on track is crucial. The 63-year-old spent nine seasons as a linebacker with the Bears and served as the team's defensive coordinator from 2004 to 2006.

David Shaw, former Stanford head coach/current Broncos senior personnel director: Shaw has coached in the NFL and college football and will serve as the Broncos' senior personnel director through the 2024 season. While at Stanford, he developed quarterback Andrew Luck into a No. 1 draft pick and coached Houston quarterback Davis Mills.

Anthony Weaver, Miami Dolphins: Weaver just finished his first season in Miami in which he ranked 10th in defensive coordination in scoring and fourth in total defense. His pedigree as an NFL coach is rooted in the defensive line, where the Bears are tied for ninth with 40 sacks this season. The 52-year-old coach and seven-year NFL defensive end spent the 2022-23 season in Baltimore as John Harbaugh's defensive line coach and assistant head coach.

request interview

Matt Campbell, Iowa State University HC: The two-time AP Big 12 Coach of the Year set a program record with 11 wins in 2024. Campbell has been with Iowa State since 2016 and is credited with developing Jets running back Breece Hall and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy into NFL starters Players are praised. A record of 64 wins and 51 losses. Campbell has never coached in the NFL.

Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills OC: Perhaps the biggest recognition Brady received came when Bills quarterback Josh Allen jokingly warned the team to stay away from his offensive coordinator. The Bills earned the No. 2 seed in the 2024 AFC with the second-ranked scoring offense and a top-nine pass-rushing offense. Brady and Williams' relationship dates back to when Williams was a 12-year-old camper at the College of William and Mary, where Brady was the linebackers coach. While Brady was coaching at LSU, Williams was leaning toward college, but when Brady left for the NFL, he transferred to Oklahoma State.

Brian Flores, Vikings: The Bears have seen Flores' aggressive defense up close the past two seasons. One of the biggest names this season, Flores brings three seasons of head coaching experience to Miami, where he compiled a 24-25 record and a defense that ranked fourth in the EPA. Questions will be raised about his ability to develop young quarterbacks after a frosty relationship with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Kliff Kingsbury, Commander OC: Kingsbury was hired by USC in 2023 to help prepare Williams for life in the NFL. The former Cardinals head coach developed Kyler Murray into the league's 2019 Rookie of the Year and is on pace to have Commanders quarterback Jaden Daniels win the same award as he produced the 2019 Rookie of the Year Records for completion percentage (69) and quarterback rushing yards (891). Ranked fifth in scoring offense (28.5 points per game).

Mike McCarthy, former Cowboys HC: McCarthy led the team to the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons as an NFL head coach, achieving a playoff record of 11 wins and 11 losses and eight division titles. He played a major role in the development of Aaron Rodgers' career starting in 2006 and helped Dak Prescott lead the way in completions and touchdowns. He set a career high and became a 2023 MVP candidate.

There are legitimate questions about McCarthy's game management, especially in the playoffs, and the Cowboys were the most penalized team in the NFL during his five seasons in Dallas (8.2 total sacks, 6.8 per game) free throws).

Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens OC: Monken is 52 years old and has extensive experience on offense. He coached Stetson Bennett during Georgia's back-to-back national championships and promoted Lamar Jackson as a passer. It played a major role in his MVP season in 2023 and his record-breaking 2024 season, when he became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 800 yards in the same season.

Arthur Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers OC: Smith has head coaching experience with the Falcons, and a Pittsburgh offense that has Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback has exceeded expectations for much of the 2024 season. The Steelers struggled in the final month of the season, losing their final five games, including a wild-card game loss to the Ravens. Pittsburgh hasn't led by 17 points in any of those losses.

Adam Stenavich, Green Bay Packers OC: Sternavich has been with Green Bay since 2019, when he joined Matt LaFleur's staff as offensive line coach. While LaFleur has played for Green Bay, Sternavich's biggest impact has been on the Packers' running game, which ranks fifth in yards and touchdowns in 2024.

The Bears have taken a similar approach under Matt Eberflus, hiring Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator (2022-23) after Luke ·Gacy served as Green Bay quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator under LaFleur. Getsy's first time calling a game was in Chicago, where the Bears' passing offense never ranked higher than 27th in his two seasons as OC.