The Chicago Bears head coach situation remains the hottest topic among fans of the team. By this point the first half of the big question is all but answered. John Fox is going to be fired. There is just no scenario within reason that somebody can think of that would compel ownership to keep him on past the end of this season. His team still plays far too inconsistently from week to week. That and of course the 13-33 record doesn’t help.
As a result word has surfaced according to Ian Rapoport that team president Ted Phillips is doing research on which coaches might be available when the season officially ends for Chicago on January 1st. This question is a bit tricky to answer because several of the top candidates expected to be available will be busy preparing for the playoffs.
Several popular names have floated around the team for weeks. Frank Reich and John DeFilippo from Philadelphia spring to mind. Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia from New England. Matt Lafleur from Los Angeles and Matt Nagy from Kansas City as well. There is also David Shaw who continues his great run at Stanford. However, Rapoport wasn’t done.
It turns out the Bears may have another, more ambitious name in mind.
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Hopes could be that Ron Rivera is next Chicago Bears head coach
Rapoport explained in a recent article that the Carolina Panthers are going through some upheaval. This is brought about by the imminent prospect of owner Jerry Richardson selling the team. In turn that could create a difficult situation for current head coach Ron Rivera who is about to enter the last year of his current contract.
“One of the Panthers’ most important tasks going forward is to extend Rivera’s contract, and sources say that’s exactly what they want to do. The team’s brass agrees that stability is needed on the football side. Put that together with the job the former coach of the year is doing and it’s an easy decision.
Talks are in their infancy, but they are expected to heat up soon.
Accordingly, the hope from many in the building is that Hurney stays on as GM, though an NFL official said the Panthers will have to go through the process and comply with the Rooney Rule before elevating him for good. Hurney will stay on — at least — through June. He has worked well with Rivera.
Rivera’s last deal was a three-year, $19.5-million contract through 2018. If he was free or became available, he’d be coveted, including potentially by the Bears.”
Interest in Rivera comes from many directions
It’s not a shock at all that the Bears would be interested in Rivera. For starters he has Chicago blood running through his veins. He was a linebacker for the team in the 1980s, playing as a reserve on the fabled 1985 team. Then he returned in the mid-2000s to run their defense, during which they reached the Super Bowl again in 2006. The man was a part of the two biggest successes the organization has had in the past four decades.
Then there’s the fact he’s already a successful head coach. He’s led the Carolina Panthers to the playoffs three times including the Super Bowl in 2015. They are 10-4 this season and poised to make it for a fourth time in five seasons. If that weren’t enough Rivera has proven his ability to develop a top quarterback draft pick. Cam Newton was selected under his watch in 2011 and has since become a star.
The idea of bringing him home to Chicago to take over Mitch Trubisky and that young defense has to sound appealing for the Bears brass. Much of how this plays out will depend on what happens in the next month.
