Ron Rivera was once a beloved member of the Chicago Bears as a player and as a coach before turning into one of the NFL's best head coaches with the Carolina Panthers.

If for some reason he becomes available this offseason, the Bears are reportedly interested in bringing him back.

According to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Panthers are searching for stability and could extend Rivera, but the veteran reporter added, "If he was free or became available, he'd be coveted, including potentially by the Bears."

At this point it is hard to imagine Rivera would come available this offseason considering he is under contract through the 2018 season. Rivera entered Week 16 with a 63-46-1 record as the head coach of the Panthers dating back to the 2011 season. During that stretch he has gone to the playoffs three times, with another appearance slated for this year, and one Super Bowl appearance.

Rivera played linebacker with the Bears between 1984 and 1992 before getting his first crack at coaching with the organization as a defensive quality control coach in 1997 and 1998. He later became the linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles between 1999 and 2003 before becoming Chicago's defensive coordinator between 2004 and 2006.

He was surprisingly not retained by the organization following the Bears run to Super Bowl XLI and signed with the San Diego Chargers as their linebackers coach in 2007 before he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2008. He was later named the head coach of the Panthers in 2011.

Want to keep up with the Bears during the regular season? Take a second to sign up for our FREE Bears newsletter! Take a second to sign up for our FREE Bears newsletter!

Rivera is a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year.