Yes, Marcus Freeman did just help Notre Dame earn a spot in this season’s College Football Playoff National Championship by leading the program to a win over Penn State on Thursday.
But it took almost no time after the Fighting Irish’s impressive victory for some to suggest that Freeman could be heading to the NFL.
Last month, Notre Dame and its head coach agreed to a four-year extension. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, before Freeman signed, his contract buyout was believed to be worth $4 million.
With his new deal, one can assume that the Fighting Irish increased the buyout amount, making it harder for other schools or NFL teams to hire him. However, NFL owners would not find it difficult to pay Notre Dame whatever Freeman’s new buyout amount is to hire him.
The Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets need a new head coach before the start of the 2025 season.
Freeman might make the most sense for the Bears of those six organizations.
The Fighting Irish head coach has a history with Chicago, which selected him in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Unfortunately, Freeman never appeared in a game for the Bears, and whether he wants to be a part of that organization again remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the connection is there.
Chicago general manager Ryan Poles revealed earlier this month that the team is looking for a new head coach who is a great leader and holds players accountable. Freeman certainly fits this description.
“There’s going to be some [head-coaching candidates] that you don’t expect that are going to surprise you because we’re digging deeper than we ever have before,” said Poles.
Could Freeman be that surprise candidate for Chicago?
Even if he does not become the next head coach of the Bears, it likely won’t be long before he becomes an NFL head coach.
Unfortunately for Notre Dame, that could happen shortly after they play in this season’s College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 20.
