The Bears will be seeking a new General Counsel as the highly regarded, 22-year veteran is out.

Changes were expected for the Chicago Bears this off-season. And, as it turns out, changes are being made to the front office as well as their coaching staff. This change is towards the very top of the organization.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has reported that Senior Vice President and General Counsel Cliff Stein — a mouthful of a title — has left the organization.

Cliff leaves the organization after serving 22 years in various roles, but most notably, as their dedicated financial salary cap expert.

No succession plan, if any, is known at this time. It appears Team President and CEO Kevin Warren has decided changes in senior leadership was needed moving forward. The only other person to have worked the salary cap for the Bears was Joey Laine, who was hired by former Bears GM Ryan Pace in 2015, then fired by GM Ryan Poles in 2022. Joey Laine now serves in a similar capacity with the Green Bay Packers.

During that time Joey Laine was with the organization, Cliff Stein remained on board as a senior advisor and general counsel to executive leadership. He also interviewed for the Bears’ team president position last year, per a source familiar with the situation. What happens next remains to be seen.