Marcus Freeman’s stock rose as he led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the brink of its first national championship since 1988.
The Chicago Bears appeared to have kept a close eye on Freeman.
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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman after defeating Penn State in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida on January 9, 2025. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
The Bears are interested in interviewing Freeman for their head coaching position after parting ways with Matt Eberflus midway through the 2024 season, the NFL Network reported Sunday. The Bears have not made a decision on replacing Eberflus, but are in the interview process.
Freeman will first have to plan for Notre Dame’s national title game against Ohio State. The Fighting Irish narrowly beat Penn State to get there.
“He’s obviously unlikely to accept NFL overtures before this game — a week from tomorrow against Ohio State,” NFL insider Tom Pelissero told the network. “But the Bears did extensive research for months on Marcus Freeman. He’s only 39 years old. It wouldn’t be surprising if at some point he at least considered going to the NFL.”
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman holds a football after beating Penn State in the Orange Bowl on January 9, 2025. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
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Chicago is still set to interview Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings, Kliff Kingsubury of the Washington Commanders, Todd Monken of the Baltimore Ravens and Arthur Smith of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the job, according to the NFL Network.
Freeman was named Brian Kelly’s replacement at Notre Dame after the former head coach took the LSU job.
He is 33-9 as head coach of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are 14-1 this season after going 9-4 in its first full year in 2022 and 10-3 in 2023.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams during the game against the Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin on January 5, 2025. (Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images)
The Bears were 5-12 in 2024 with Caleb Williams in his first season at center.
