Rivera Unemployed Only One Day

Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera was out of a job, but not for long. Just hours after the Bears announced Monday he wouldn't be retained, the San Diego Chargers gave him a two-year contract to coach their linebackers.

Rivera, who has talked with eight NFL teams about their head coaching positions over the last two seasons, had a three-year contract with the Bears that was set to expire next week.

After it was announced he wouldn't be coming back to the Bears, Rivera vowed he would land another job.

And he did, getting a deal to join new Chargers coach Norv Turner. Rivera had just interviewed for San Diego's head coaching job last weekend.

But the decision by Bears coach Lovie Smith not to keep Rivera came as a surprise to many, especially the timing — a little more than two weeks since the Bears lost the Super Bowl. Rivera said he never started talks on a new contract with Chicago.

Rivera was a linebacker on Chicago's Super Bowl champion team in 1986 and then led a defense that helped the Bears make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Chicago had trouble containing Indianapolis in the Super Bowl, losing 29-17 to the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts.

Rivera has been an assistant coach for 10 years in the NFL beginning as a quality control coach with the Bears in 1997. He spent five years with the Philadelphia Eagles as their linebackers coach and the last three in charge of Chicago's defense.

The Bears led the NFL with 44 takeaways in the regular season, but the defense was slowed in the latter stages of the season after injuries to defensive tackle Tommie Harris and safety Mike Brown.


Check out the most complete guide to coaching youth football ever created!

Do you love football? Then tune it to the Football Fanatics Show!