Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman might have a big decision to make.
The Chicago Bears want to talk to the 39-year-old Fighting Irish coach about their head coaching job, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
It’s pretty interesting timing. Freeman’s getting ready for the biggest game of his career – Notre Dame’s national championship showdown with Ohio State next Monday.
The Bears have been doing their homework on Freeman for months. They’re clearly impressed with what they’ve seen in South Bend.
But Freeman? He’s not letting NFL rumors distract him.
“I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” he told ESPN on January 4. “They announced another long contract here at Notre Dame about a week or two ago.”
He’s got good reason to be confident. Notre Dame’s been on fire since September, and they just punched their ticket to their first national title game in over 10 years by beating Penn State 27-24 in the Orange Bowl.
The Bears’ interest makes sense. They’re looking for a fresh start after firing Matt Eberflus following a rough 5-12 season. They’ve got their quarterback of the future in Caleb Williams, but they need someone to help turn things around.
Their only bright spot in the division came in Week 18, when they shocked Green Bay for their lone NFC North win.
Landing Freeman would be huge for Chicago. He’s young, energetic, and knows how to build a winner. But there’s a catch – Notre Dame just locked him up with that contract extension.
Right now, Freeman’s got one thing on his mind: taking down Ohio State for the national title.
The NFL can wait.
