Ron Rivera’s former staff members continue to find work elsewhere after he was fired last month by the Washington Commanders.
On Tuesday, Jennifer King, who was Rivera’s assistant running backs coach for the past three seasons in Washington, accepted a similar role with the Chicago Bears, according to Bridget Condon of the NFL Network.
Jennifer King's journey in the NFL as a coach will continue in Chicago. King will join the #Bears as an Offensive Assistant working with the running backs, per source.
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) February 20, 2024
King, 39, followed Rivera to Washington in 2020. Rivera first gave her a coaching opportunity in 2018 with the Panthers as a wide receivers coaching intern. In 2019, she was a running backs coach intern. When Rivera was hired by Washington in 2020, she began as a coaching intern, and in 2021, Rivera named her the assistant running backs coach under veteran position coach Randy Jordan.
When King was promoted to assistant running backs coach, she became the first Black woman to be a full-time NFL coach.
King was one of 40 women who attended the NFL’s Women’s Forum in 2018, where she met Rivera to express an interest in coaching.
Before getting into football coaching, King spent time as a flight attendant, police officer, and college basketball coach.