By Mark Pszonak
Now in his third full season as the head coach at Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman has compiled a 30-8 record during this time. That includes an 11-1 record this season, which has the Irish heading to the playoffs. These are impressive accomplishments, which have caught the attention of at least one NFL team that is considering Freeman as their next head coach.
The Chicago Bears are fresh on the market for a new coach after firing Matt Eberflus on Friday. Several names quickly arose in the last two days as potential replacements, including Freeman.
Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman is an early name to watch for the #Bears Head Coaching job, per @PSchrags pic.twitter.com/nLOT2jsRxR
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 1, 2024
Freeman is an interesting option for the Bears, who have some young talent, most notably rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, but also have plenty of holes on the roster. Is Freeman, who is 38 years old and only has three seasons of experience as a head coach, a good option for the Bears? Also, is a move to Chicago the right move for Freeman?
The answer to both of these questions is no. The Bears aren’t a quick fix and while the potential to coach a young quarterback like Williams will be a huge selling point, the move doesn’t make sense for Chicago. This is a franchise that has compiled a 16-35 record since the start of the 2021 season. They are also stuck in a division where Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay are all better. Chicago needs a head coach with more experience who would draw more respect from the players.
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For Freeman, let’s all remember that after Notre Dame’s mind-boggling loss to Northern Illinois earlier this season, many people were wondering if he was the right coach in South Bend. And while he and the Irish have rebounded very nicely, he still has more growth to experience at the college level before he attempts to tackle a job like Chicago.
Freeman has a very bright future as a head coach, but better opportunities will come his way in the coming years as long as he continues to win in South Bend. But this time he should decline Chicago’s advances and focus his time and energy on Notre Dame’s playoff run.
