The Green Bay Packers will play their biggest game of the season on Saturday when they travel to take on the Chicago Bears. Sitting behind the 10-4 Bears with a 9-4-1 record, a victory on Saturday would give the Packers first place in the NFC North and a tiebreaker over Chicago as they look to solidify their place in the NFL’s playoff picture.
With all of this going on, the Packers may be as concerned with the college football landscape as Matt LaFleur is about Halloween. But the college football world was altered dramatically last week when Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was fired, opening up one of the sport’s most prestigious positions.
At first glance, it doesn’t seem like this should matter to the Packers. But The Athletic’s Michael Silver hinted the move could trigger a big shake-up if offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich is considered for the job.
“As Michigan searches for a new head coach, I’d be surprised if they didn’t consider Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, an alum whose teaching skills and natural leadership qualities have earned him respect throughout the NFL,” Silver wrote in a post on X Monday evening. “He is steeped in the Kyle Shanahan/Matt LaFleur system (he played for Shanahan in Houston and coached with him in [San Francisco] and understands the run game’s foundational impact.
“And he bleeds blue and maize, at a time when the program really needs it. Every time I talk to Packers players (including [Sunday] in Denver), they sing his praises. He may get NFL head coaching looks in this cycle too.”
Packers OC Adam Stenavich Could Be Candidate for Michigan HC Job
Stenavich has been a mainstay in the rumor mill during his time as Packers OC. The 42-year-old joined LaFleur’s staff upon his arrival in 2019 and was promoted to offensive coordinator after former Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett attempted to bring him to the Denver Broncos upon his hiring in 2022. Stenavich’s stock reached an all-time high last season when he interviewed for offensive coordinator jobs with the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans and also interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching position.
That steam should be building as the Packers head toward a potential playoff berth, and Stenavich could be considered for several head coaching jobs this upcoming offseason. But his name has never made its way to the collegiate ranks, and Michigan could be a special opportunity.
As Silver mentioned, Stenavich is a Michigan alum as an offensive lineman, playing for the Wolverines from 2002-2005. He began his coaching career there as a strength and conditioning intern in 2011 and was a graduate assistant during the 2012 and 2013 seasons before becoming the offensive line coach at Northern Arizona in 2014.
Fulfilling the same “Michigan Man” criteria that Jim Harbaugh filled while leading the Wolverines to a national championship in 2023, Stenavich has enough qualities to entice the school to give him a call. But such a scenario would have big ramifications for the Packers' coaching staff.
Adam Stenavich’s Potential Departure Could Purge Packers’ Coaching Staff
Like many coaches taking a new job, Stenavich would look to use some of his connections to fill his coaching staff at Michigan. If he leaves, one of the biggest names to watch is current Packers offensive line coach Luke Butkus.
Butkus served as an assistant offensive line coach under Stenavich while the latter served the top role from 2019-2021. While he was promoted to his current role when Stenavich became OC in 2022, he also has previous experience at the collegiate level, serving as an offensive line coach under Tim Beckman in 2012 and Lovie Smith from 2016-2018.
LaFleur could consider Butkus for the OC role if Stenavich leaves. But he also has numerous other options. Luke Getsy became Green Bay's quarterbacks coach when LaFleur arrived in 2019 and has previous OC experience during Matt Eberflus’s tenure with the Chicago Bears and as the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive coordinator in 2024.
While he rejoined the staff as a defensive consultant upon his firing in Vegas, Stenavich could also look to him to be his offensive coordinator at Michigan, forcing LaFleur to work elsewhere, including Hackett, who was the team’s OC from 2019-2021 and has been working with the team as a defensive analyst. Of course, this could go the other way if Stenavich wanted Hackett to join him at Michigan.
Several other Packers assistants could look for a promotion or a similar role this offseason. Defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley, defensive running game coordinator DeMarcus Covington, defensive backs coach Ryan Downard, quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion, and linebackers coach Sean Duggan were all listed as rising coaching candidates by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero last month, and a promotion could help them climb further up the ladder in the coming years.
Of course, that could also mean they could follow defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley if he lands a head coaching job next month, leading to a full-blown staff shakeup if Stenavich decides to go to Michigan. It’s an intriguing storyline that could look much different in 2026 and one that could be blown to pieces if Silver’s speculation comes to fruition.