The extension is said to be worth $15.5 million over the 2019 and 2020 seasons, according to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Rivera signed a three-year, $19.5 million extension two years ago that was set to expire in 2018.
“I’m very excited about it because I really like where we are as a football team,” Rivera said in a release. “We’ve done some really good things and we have an opportunity to do more. Things are in place and we can continue this success. We’ve had consistency of winning and we’ve gone to the playoffs four out of five years.”
The deal is the first move by Tina Becker as chief operating officer of the team. Becker was promoted to the position after Richardson stepped away from daily duties last month.
By locking Rivera up now, the Panthers avoid a lame-duck coaching scenario in what already will be a major transitional year for the organization. Also in flux is the general manager position, after Richardson’s surprising firing of former GM Dave Gettleman just days before Carolina’s training camp this year. The Panthers hired Marty Hurney, the team’s GM from 2002-12, in an interim role and his contract extends through the 2018 NFL draft, according to a source familiar with the document.
Carolina also does not have a team president, after Danny Morrison left the organization suddenly last spring. A six-person executive team, which included Becker, filled Morrison’s role.
Rivera was hired in 2011 after John Fox went 2-14 as a lame-duck coach in 2010.
He has a 64-47-1 record in seven years — good for a franchise-best .576 winning percentage. Rivera was named the AP Coach of the Year after the 2013 and ’15 seasons. He also has never had back-to-back winning seasons – something that has also eluded the franchise overall.
“This is a tremendous place with tremendous support from ownership and the people that work in the organization,” Rivera said. “And I really appreciate the support we’ve gotten from our fans in the Carolinas. That’s a big reason why I want to continue my association with this organization.”
MORE ON CAROLINA’S HEAD COACH
Ronald Eugene Rivera is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL).
Rivera played college football at the University of California in Berkeley, and was recognized as an All-American linebacker. He was selected in the second round of the 1984 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, and was a backup on the 1985 team which won Super Bowl XX.
As a coach, Rivera was the defensive coordinator for Bears in the 2006, who were NFC champions and competed in Super Bowl XLI. In 2011, he was named head coach of the Panthers. Rivera was recognized as the NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in 2013 and in 2015. Since taking over the Panthers, he has led the team to three straight divisional titles, and an appearance in Super Bowl 50.
Rivera was born in Fort Ord, California. His father was a Puerto Rican commissioned officer in the United States Army stationed in California. There he met his future wife, Rivera’s mother. As a result of his father’s military service, Rivera had to travel and was educated in military bases in Germany, Panama, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. Finally his family moved to central California where, he attended Seaside High School. It was during his high school days that he first started playing football.
In the 1984 NFL draft, Rivera was selected in the second round by the Chicago Bears. During the 1985 season, he played in Super Bowl XX, where the Bears routed the New England Patriots, 46–10. Rivera was the first Mexican/Puerto Rican to play on a Super Bowl championship team. He became the starter in 1988, serving for three seasons. Rivera played for the Bears for a total of nine seasons (1984–1992).
In 1993, Rivera went to work for WGN-TV and SportsChannel Chicago as a TV analyst covering the Bears and college football. In 1996, he became a defense quality control coach for the Bears.
In 1999, Rivera was named linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. During his tenure, the Eagles advanced to the NFC championship for three consecutive seasons. He is credited with developing linebacker Jeremiah Trotter into a two-time Pro Bowl performer.
On January 23, 2004, Rivera was named defensive coordinator of the Bears. In 2005, the Bears defense was rated second-best in the NFL. The Bears qualified for the NFC playoffs, losing in the second round to theCarolina Panthers, 29–21. The 2005 performance of the Chicago Bears earned him consideration for Head Coach assignments from several NFL teams.
In 2006, the Bears’ defensive efforts failed to match the success of their 2005 season. Nevertheless, the team was still a notable presence in league, finishing with the league’s third ranked and conference’s top-ranked points allowed category. The defense’s success earned Rivera recognition among franchises looking for new head coaches. The Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers interviewed him in January 2007. He was a candidate for the vacant Dallas Cowboys head coaching position, a job that ultimately went to San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Rivera was named as a potential candidate to replace the fired Marty Schottenheimer in San Diego, but the job was filled by Norv Turner, the brother of fellow offensive coordinator, Ron Turner, Rivera’s offensive counterpart in Chicago. After the announcement, ESPN reported that the Bears were considering letting Rivera go. This came after several other teams interviewed him, and the negotiations between his representatives and the Bears were making little progress. On February 19, 2007, it was announced that Ron Rivera’s contract with the Bears would not be renewed.
DECEMBER 1987: Ron Rivera #59 of the Chicago Bears plays defense during game action in December 1987.
The San Diego Chargers hired Rivera as team’s inside linebackers coach after he left the Bears. On October 28, 2008, Rivera was promoted to defensive coordinator with the Chargers after the team released former defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell. Rivera had used the 4–3 defense for most of his coaching career, but adopted a 3–4 scheme with the Chargers.
On January 11, 2011, Rivera was named the fourth head coach of the Carolina Panthers. He is the fifth Latino to be an NFL head coach, following former New Orleans Saints coach Tom Fears, former Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks coach Tom Flores, former New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts coach Jim E. Mora, and former Atlanta Falcons coach Jim L. Mora.
During his first year as head coach, the Panthers went 6–10 and finished third in the division. In 2012, the Panthers finished 7–9 and finished second in the division. Following the 2012 season, Rivera was expected to be fired.
Over the first 34 games of his coaching career, Rivera was known for exceptionally conservative decision-making that led to a 2–14 record in games decided by less than a touchdown. Against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, Rivera decided to kick a field goal while up 3 points and facing a fourth and one deep inside the Bills territory late in the fourth quarter. The Bills proceeded to drive for a touchdown on their next drive, scoring on a touchdown pass with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game. With Carolina opening the 2013 season 0–2, reports circled that the front office was already performing background checks on new potential head coach candidates. Rivera then changed his coaching philosophy and became a more aggressive coach. Facing a 4th and 1 from the two-yard line in the first quarter against the also 0–2 New York Giants in Week 3, Rivera went for the touchdown instead of a field goal. A Mike Tolbert run found the end zone, and Carolina ended up winning the game 38–0.
Over the next five games, the Panthers went for a first down five times in situations where conventional strategy called for a field goal attempt. They converted on four of them and ended each of those drives with touchdowns, all in wins. The lone failure was against the Cardinals when Brandon LaFell dropped a wide open pass across the middle from Cam Newton that would have resulted in a sure touchdown as well. This sudden aggression in his play-calling earned Rivera the nickname “Riverboat Ron”, after Riverboat gamblers. Rivera has expressed discontent with the nickname, however, explaining he is “a calculated risk taker” not a gambler. The Panthers went 11–1 to finish the season, including a then-franchise record eight-game winning streak, to win the NFC South title and make the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Rivera was honored as the 2013 AP NFL Coach of the Year.
In Rivera’s fourth season as the Panthers’ coach, Carolina recovered from a 3–8–1 start to win its final four regular-season games and clinch the NFC South championship for the second consecutive year. The Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27–16 in the NFC Wild Card playoff game for the team’s first playoff win since 2005.
Despite reaching the playoffs three years in a row from 2013–2015, Rivera has been unable to produce back-to-back winning seasons as a head coach. Following a 22–19 playoff-clinching victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16 of the 2017 season, Rivera became the first head coach in Panthers history with four playoff appearances. On January 6, 2018, Rivera signed a two year contract extension.
Head Coaching Record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CAR | 2011 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3rd in NFC South | – | – | – | – |
| CAR | 2012 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2nd in NFC South | – | – | – | – |
| CAR | 2013 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in NFC South | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Divisional Game |
| CAR | 2014 | 7 | 8 | 1 | .469 | 1st in NFC South | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Seattle Seahawks in NFC Divisional Game |
| CAR | 2015 | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 1st in NFC South | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost to Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 |
| CAR | 2016 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in NFC South | – | – | – | – |
| CAR | 2017 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in NFC South | 0 | 0 | .000 | TBD |
| Total | 64 | 47 | 1 | .576 | 3 | 3 | .500 | |||
Rivera has been a resident of Cherry Hill, New Jersey.[25]
