There's Growing Talk About Marcus Freeman Leaving Notre Dame For NFL

Could Marcus Freeman leave Notre Dame for the NFL after the national championship game? That's a question that every fan of the Fighting Irish wants answered immediately. 

Six days ago, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Freeman is on the Chicago Bears' radar. While sharing this report on "The Insiders," he said, "Obviously, unlikely that he would entertain NFL overtures prior to that game a week from tomorrow against Ohio State but the Bears have done extensive research for months on Marcus Freeman." 

A few days later, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that Chicago "really wants" to pursue Freeman for its head-coaching vacancy. She said, "I feel like the tone has been changing lately — as in, Chicago really wants to make something happen with him." 

Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports also believes Freeman would be an ideal target for the Bears, comparing the talented coach to Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams. 

Although the Bears have been mentioned as a potential option for Freeman, college football insider Bruce Feldman doesn't expect him to leave South Bend. 

"I’d be very surprised if Marcus left to go be the Bears head coach," Feldman said. "You know, obviously, the Bears’ president, Kevin Warren, was the president of the Big Ten. I could totally see why he would be very enamored with Marcus. Marcus has really grown in the last couple of years as a head coach, and he put together a terrific staff. 

"I think Marcus knows people around Notre Dame gave him a big opportunity and he is thriving in it. He’s got a pretty young family — six kids. They had the chance to either go to Baton Rouge or to be the DC at Notre Dame. He chose Notre Dame because I think they felt comfortable with the fit there. Everything has gone exceptionally well. He just turned 39 last week. The NFL will be there for him if he wants it five years from now. A lot of people have taken the Bears job and it has not worked out."