Jan. 27, 2026, 8:18 p.m. ET
The Arizona Cardinals are still searching for a head coach. While almost every other vacancy is filled, outside of Arizona, the Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders, the Cardinals are leaving no stone unturned. Dianna Russini of The Athletic revealed Tuesday that Arizona recently interviewed former Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera.
Rivera, the current general manager of Cal football, his alma mater, was fired in January 2024 after four seasons in Washington. Rivera, who also served as the de facto GM for the Commanders, finished with a 26-40-1 record and is probably remembered mostly for his poor drafts in Washington. By the middle of the 2024 season, all four of Washington’s first-round picks from 2020-23 were no longer on the Commanders’ roster.
Before Rivera came to Washington, he spent nine seasons as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, where he accumulated a 76-63-1 record. However, he finished with six losing seasons out of nine with the Panthers, and in 13 years as a head coach, Rivera has won eight games or fewer 10 times.
The 64-year-old Rivera played nine seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears before turning to coaching. He was a defensive coordinator for the Bears and the Chargers before being hired as Carolina’s head coach in 2011.
Last offseason, Rivera interviewed with the Eagles and Cowboys for their defensive coordinator openings.
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Rivera took over as Cal GM in March 2025.