The Bears are adding a franchise icon to their list of head coaching candidates. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Bears will interview Ron Rivera this weekend for their head coaching job.
Rivera has had multiple stints with the organization, most famously between 1984 and 1992 when the linebacker helped anchor Chicago’s defense. He won a Super Bowl with the ’85 Bears, and he proceeded to spend his entire nine-year playing career with the organization.
A few years following his retirement, Rivera got his first coaching gig in Chicago, serving as a defensive quality control coach for two years. He next spent a half-decade in Philly serving as the Eagles linebackers coach before he returned to the Bears as their defensive coordinator. Rivera earned PFWA’s Assistant Coach of the Year honors following his second season at the helm, and he helped guide an NFC Championship-winning defense in 2006.
The relationship between the two sides broke down following Rivera’s third season as DC. Rivera’s contract wasn’t extended due to failed negotiations, and he ended up leaving to become the ILB coach in San Diego. He was quickly promoted to DC with the Chargers, and he parlayed that performance into the Panthers HC job.
Rivera saw some ups and downs during his time in Carolina. His hiring coincided with the addition of first-overall pick Cam Newton, and the duo eventually led the Panthers to four playoff appearances in five years (including a run to the Super Bowl in 2015). Rivera earned a pair of Coach of the Year honors during that run. A late-season collapse saw the Panthers miss the playoffs in 2018, and the team bottomed out with Newton out of the lineup in 2019. Midway through that latter campaign, Rivera was let go by the Panthers.
He quickly landed on his feet in Washington, as he was named head coach ahead of the 2020 season. The Commanders made the playoffs despite a 7-9 record during Rivera’s first season on the sideline, and they flirted with a .500 record for the next couple of years. After the Commanders went 4-13 during the 2023 campaign, Rivera was fired by the team.
The long-time coach was out of football for the 2024 season, although he made it clear that he intended to return to coaching. It didn’t take long for him to reemerge during this year’s hiring cycle, as he’s already met with the Jets about their job.
Rivera now represents the 18th coach to be connected to Chicago’s job. Some of those targets, like Bill Belichick and Mike McCarthy, didn’t gain any traction, but the team has otherwise interviewed or requested interviews with 15 other candidates (excluding Rivera):
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): Interview requested
- Thomas Brown, interim head coach (Bears): Interview expected
- Matt Campbell, head coach (Iowa State): Interview expected
- Pete Carroll, former head coach (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/9
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Interview requested
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): To interview 1/11
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): To interview 1/11
- Mike Kafka, offensive coordinator (Giants):Â Interviewed 1/9
- Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator (Commanders): Interview requested
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Interview requested
- Drew Petzing, offensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed 1/8
- David Shaw, senior personnel executive (Broncos): Interview requested
- Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator (Steelers): Interview requested
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): Interviewed 1/8
- Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/9
Go bears
Oh god please no don’t do it
I love it, I wish I could post the Riverboat Ron gif
Enough already just make the wrong choice to us Bears fans in constant misery!
And the Cattle Call continues. Next up, Vince Lombardi and Bill Walsh. What about Ditka? If you need any more proof Poles is in over his head, I think we’re there.
I remember hearing a former Raiders front office exec some time ago say that Al Davis had a technique when hiring coaches; The interviewees for NFL jobs normally prepare and discuss specifically for that team they’re interviewing with what they would do strategically, roster, staff and why. You intentionally interview a ton of people to get a ton of different insights.
Not a great example. Aside from Madden, how many successful coaches did Al Davis hire?
Tom Flores was also an Al Davis hire that had a lot of success. The overall record doesn’t show it, but Art Shell was a good coach, too.
It’s not an example, more of an explanation as to why some teams cast their net so wide.- Information gathering is smart in any business and this is a rare opportunity to get it from your competitors.
Poles is the genius who thought bringing Eberflub back last offseason was a good idea. A long list means one thing- They have no idea what they want. And I’m sure their scattershot approach is just what the top candidates want to see. Ben Johnson? At this point they’d be lucky to get the Lion’s equipment manager to take this job.
It’s time for Poles to buy a new Ouija Board.
I initially heard Rivera being mentioned as another possible candidate this past Thursday. I quickly tossed that aside believing that this is someone looking for a story and tossing out nonsense. Obviously I made the wrong call. When it comes to the Bears anything is possible. Poles may be getting low on oxygen in the deep Halas Hall bunkers.
Good luck with that Bears. Go Commanders!
HTTR
I think Rivera is a solid (not great, but solid) coach and a bunch of teams will hire worse.
huh? Did you miss his time in Washington? You must be a Packers fan
I also saw his boss and his roster in DC, too, though.
Ron River was given complete control of the Commanders. Dan Snyder was under fire for his involvement with the day to day operations after his fine and “Unofficial” one year suspension. Ron was handed the keys to the organization in the “Coach Centric” approach to operation. It was far too much for Ron to handle.
Ron Rivera will make a great Head Coach, as long as that is his only title.
Please, no one without prior suucess as an NFL head coach.
That means no Ben Johnson, who has never been a head coach anywhere before in his life – not even h.s. or college. No thank you. Been there and done that many times.
We’ll know the Bears have kicked over the final rock in their HC search when they ask Barack Obama to come in for an interview 🙂
River Boat Ron, nice guy. I actually played Black Jack w/ him for about 2 hours. That said, he should not be considered a legit hire, even though it feels like the exact type of hire the Bears would make.
All these long in the tooth mediocre HC retreads coming outa woodwork. Surprised Jeff Fisher’s phone is not ringing off hook. Football the game itself is always growing like new cutting edge state of the art offenses n defenses. Evolving wk to wk w/staff pushed to extremes. 18hr days spent planning, scheming, watching film, having positive practices, then game planning more w/concepts added weekly for next opponent. These ol guys who take serious time off away frm day to day living it, even if they stay close to gm as tv analysts, the game has its own heartbeat n the league passes them bye. Hard to find HCs who left for awhile n then get that nfl itch again who have repeated there earlier successes. There ol dusty playbook don’t work like it use to. The pro game changes all the time. Need to adapt quicker than lumberjack trying to spin large log to knock off the lumberjack trying to spill u. Joe Gibbs, just off hand, great HC. Was innovator of H-back offense n won alot of gms. Retired. Took good spell off n came back n the gm had evolved n passed em bye. Madden was smart never coming back. Passing time n fact that alot of these guys getting interviews already had HC gigs n failed in their performance. Big difference being really good coordinators n being the guy who makes all the decisions n runs the show. Pete Carrol is in his 70s. With the physical n mental toll a season demands, it is a younger man’s role. They had there time in the sun, just like players come n go.
Perfect fit. Bad coach for bad organization.
Ron Rivera beat cancer, can he beat the NFC north though?
Rivera.. No, I said I wanted a successful HC. One could argue that he was saddled in bad orgs, but the Bears fall into that category.
Vrabel is pretty much not an option either (which I think he would have been perfect to clear up the quitting issues on this roster and knows how to coach a football team).
I guess its time for the Bears to hire another coodinator who cannot be a HC.
If that is the case, get Kingsbury. At least Williams and the offense should have no excuses.
Or get Johnson, who may crash and burn as a HC, but he is the darling of the NFL right now, so if Poles fails he can at least say ‘but everyone wanted him’.
Is there anyone they’re not interviewing?
I think we all know what Rivera brings to the table. But it’s not what the Bears need. I’d rather see Pete Carroll get the job….and I do not want to see that happen either. Rivera would bring professionalism and stability to the organization but they need an offensive innovator far, far more. Somebody give Ron a DC job and tell him to go stand over there and do his thing.