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The Chicago Bears just added a 16-year NFL veteran to their coaching staff. The Bears are slated to hire former safety Mike Adams as an assistant defensive backs coach, as first reported by NBC Sports’ Adam Hoge. Adams entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2004, and the journeyman defensive back played for six different teams throughout his career, including the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers.
#Bears are hiring former NFL safety Mike Adams as assistant defensive backs coach, per league source. Adams played in the league for 16 years, most recently with the Texans in 2019.
Adams is the latest coach to be added to Chicago’s staff, and he’ll be a first-time coach under new defensive coordinator Sean Desai. He joins Chris Rumph (defensive line coach) Bill McGovern (inside linebackers coach) and Bill Shuey, who was promoted to outside linebackers coach, as the team’s new additions so far.
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Mike Adams Refresher: From UDFA to 2x Pro Bowl Safety
Adams entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Delaware in 2004. He spent his first three years with the 49ers, starting 18 games in that span. He followed that up with five years in Cleveland with the Browns and a two-year stint with the Denver Broncos. He went on to have his best success with the Colts after that, making two Pro Bowls in his three years with the team. Adams started 44 games, and he snagged 11 interceptions, forced seven fumbles while recovering five, and scored a defensive touchdown in his three years in Indy.
His career wound down with two seasons in Carolina, and he spent his final year with the Texans in 2019. Adams retired amassing an impressive career stat line for an UDFA: He finished with two Pro Bowls, 708 solo tackles, 30 interceptions, 13 forced fumbles, 16 fumble recoveries, 19 tackles for loss and two defensive scores.
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Adams Shares a Past Connection With Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy
Earning the nickname “Pops,” a reference to his veteran savvy after spending 16 years in the league, Adams announced his retirement on Good Morning Football in March of 2020. He did not coach this season, so this will be his first assistant position. Adams comes to Chicago with a connection to the team’s current head coach, however.
He played his college ball at the University of Delaware, where Bears coach Matt Nagy also played quarterback from 1997-2000. Their time with the Blue Hens intersected, and they were teammates for two seasons, from 1999-2000.
When he made his retirement announcement on GMFB, Adams expressed an interest in working his way up the coaching ladder, with the ultimate goal of being an executive in mind. “I want to work upstairs. I want to get in that GM mode,” Adams told the show’s hosts. “I want to do that to challenge myself. I know I can coach. Obviously, I can probably polish some things out but I want to challenge myself in a whole different realm by being upstairs.”
Now, he’ll get his first opportunity with a team known for churning out legendary defenses.
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Bears to Add Ex-Pro Bowl Safety to Staff: Report