LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears on Saturday agreed to terms with Rod Marinelli to serve as their defensive line coach/assistant head coach.

Rod Marinelli, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith coached together with the Buccaneers from 1996-2000.

Marinelli, 59, comes to Chicago with 13 years of NFL experience. He was a highly-respected defensive line coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2005 before spending three seasons as head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2006-08.

Marinelli and Bears coach Lovie Smith worked together for five seasons with the Buccaneers as defensive assistants on Tony Dungy’s staff from 1996-2000. The two roomed together for part of their tenure. Marinelli also worked with Bears general manager Jerry Angelo in Tampa.

In his end-of-the-season press conference, Angelo made it clear that he would welcome the opportunity to hire the former Lions coach.

“I think the world of Rod Marinelli,” Angelo said Dec. 30. “I would love to have Rod Marinelli on our staff, and I think Lovie would say the same thing. He’s a great football coach.

“Anytime you get a chance to get a great coach or great player, you’re not going to sit here and say that you wouldn’t consider him or you wouldn’t work a way to do that."

Marinelli won a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers, and helped to transform defensive tackle Warren Sapp and defensive end Simeon Rice into Pro Bowlers.

The Buccaneers defensive line amassed 328.5 sacks under Marinelli’s tutelage, tops in the NFL during that time among defensive fronts. Tampa Bay ranked in the top 10 in total defense in each of Marinelli’s last nine seasons with the team. In 2002, the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl behind a defense that allowed the fewest points and yards in the league.

Marinelli was fired by the Lions on Dec. 29 after compiling a 10-38 record in three seasons, including the first 0-16 mark in NFL history in 2008.

In Chicago, he’ll try to help the Bears resuscitate a pass rush that faltered in 2008 while working with a group that includes veterans Tommie Harris, Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye; and youngsters Mark Anderson and Marcus Harrison.

Prior to his 10-year tenure in Tampa Bay, Marinelli coached the defensive line at Southern California and was an assistant head /defensive line coach at Arizona State. Marinelli also had stints at California (1983-1991) and Utah State (1976-1982).

Marinelli’s collegiate playing career at Utah (1968) and California Lutheran (1970-72) was split by a tour of duty in Vietnam. In 1972, Marinelli earned all-American honors as an offensive tackle at California Lutheran.

Marinelli interviewed with the Bears, Seahawks and Texans before agreeing to terms with Chicago.