Cal football general manager Ron Rivera may not be done with the NFL after all.
The former coach of the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders interviewed recently with the Arizona Cardinals for their vacant coaching position, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
Rivera, 64, took over the Golden Bears’ football program less than year ago, aiming to use his NFL experience to help his alma mater fast-forward into the new world of college football, complete with Name, Image and Likeness, revenue sharing and a fast-moving transfer portal.
The Bears went 7-6 in 2025, and Rivera fired longtime head coach Justin Wilcox after a blowout loss to Stanford in the Big Game. Rivera hired fellow former Cal player Tosh Lupoi away from his post as Oregon’s defensive coordinator to replace Wilcox.
Rivera was 102-103-2 as an NFL coach between Carolina and Washington, leading the Panthers — along with MVP Cam Newton — to Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, where they lost to Denver.
He was the NFL’s coach of the year in 2013 and 2015, and coached through a cancer diagnosis during his four seasons in Washington.
As a linebacker, Rivera starred at Cal, being named the Pac-10’s defensive player of the year in 1983 and earning consensus All-American recognition that same season. He was drafted in the second round by the Bears and played for them from 1984-1992, winning Super Bowl XX.
The Cardinals fired Jonathan Gannon earlier this month after three seasons. Arizona was 3-14 in 2025 and 15-36 under Gannon overall.
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