The Chicago Bears have been searching for the answer for years. Whether the position is quarterback or head coach, they have been looking for a return to glory that would give them an opportunity to win their first Super Bowl since the 1985 season. The Bears may have found their quarterback in Caleb Williams, and they are once again searching for a head coach.
The Bears had interviewed Mike Vrabel earlier, but he was hired Sunday by the New England Patriots. Chicago interviewed former Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera for their vacant position.
Rivera has a strong association with the Bears as he was a linebacker on the 1985 Super Bowl winners. Rivera also served as an assistant coach on the 2006 Bears that went to the Super Bowl before losing to the Indianapolis Colts. Lovie Smith was the Bears head coach at the time.
Rivera spent nine seasons as head coach of the Panthers and had three excellent seasons. He won Coach of the Year honors twice during his time in Carolina.
Rivera led the team to a 12-4 record in 2013 but they lost in the divisional playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers.
Two years later, the Panthers had an exceptional 15-1 season and made it all the way to the Super Bowl where they were beaten by the Denver Broncos.
Carolina fell badly the next season but bounced back in 2017 with an 11-5 season. Rivera was fired after going 5-7 in 2019, but he was hired the following year by Washington. His team made the playoffs in 2020 with a paltry 7-9 record and Washington was never better than 8-8-1 during his unimpressive four-year run in the nation's capital.
Rivera hoping for third head coaching opportunity
It may be something of a longshot for Rivera to get another head coaching opportunity. He has never led any of his teams to consecutive winning seasons, and his teams have had just 3 winning seasons during his head coaching career.
Rivera is known for keeping a calm demeanor in the locker room and building harmony with his players and coaches. However, he developed a reputation for going for it on fourth down plays, earning the nickname of “Riverboat Ron.”
As a player, Rivera spent nine seasons with the Bears. He was a valuable backup linebacker on the '85 championship team and he eventually became a full-time starter in the 1988 season.
Rivera maintained his starting position for 3-plus seasons, and he showed the ability to cover running backs coming out of the backfield and was also a solid tackler. He had had four consecutive seasons where he registered two interceptions.
