Marcus Freeman has signed a mega contract to stay at Notre Dame, meaning the Chicago Bears can cross him off as a potential candidate
The reported four-year extension for Freeman keeps him in South Bend for six more seasons. The successor to Brian Kelly is currently in his third season leading the Irish and has them ready to make a run in the first-ever expanded college football playoff field. Freeman has posted a 30-9 record as Notre Dame’s head coach, with game 40 coming up on Friday against Indiana.
The 38-year-old might have been on the outside looking in as a legitimate candidate for the Chicago Bears job, but there were rumblings of a world where he would at least be in the conversation amongst the organization’s brass.
Making the leap to the NFL from college isn’t one that is seen too frequently anymore. Jim Harbaugh did so last offseason, but his prior stint at the highest level makes his jump from Michigan to Los Angeles a bit of an exception. Matt Rhule is the most recent coach to leave the college ranks to lead an NFL sideline. After a successful tenure at Baylor, Rhule became the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. The now Nebraska Cornhusker leader did not last long in the NFL as he flamed out in two and a half seasons with Carolina.
Whether Freeman actually had any inkling to interview with NFL teams, there’s no saying anyone would have bit on a college coach wanting to make this big jump. It has worked extremely well for organizations in the past, but it has also gone very poorly.
The top four Chicago Bears head coaching options remain available for the job
The news of Freeman returning to Notre Dame for the long haul doesn’t affect the state of the four originally reported candidates that the Chicago Bears showed interest in after the firing of Matt Eberflus. The two offensive minds (Joe Brady + Ben Johnson) and two defensive minds (Brian Flores + Mike Vrabel) can remain at the forefront of the franchise’s plans when the time comes to begin conducting interviews.
Brady continues to lead a potent Buffalo offense to Super Bowl contention as they made another big statement on the road in a victory over the Lions on Sunday. His work with Josh Allen is something the Chicago Bears could look to, as Caleb Williams is set to enter his second season in the NFL. Johnson has received the same praise, if not more for what he has made of the Detroit offense in his tenure as their offensive coordinator.
Flores and Vrabel bring prior head coaching experience in the NFL on their resumes. Vrabel formerly led the Tennessee Titans and currently works on the Cleveland Browns staff. Flores spent time as the head coach in Miami and has done some impressive things as the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings over the past couple of seasons.
Despite Freeman sticking with Notre Dame, the vision and focus remain intact with the Chicago Bears in their search for the next leader of the franchise. It all comes down to getting the right guy in the building and thankfully the options in this coaching cycle are stronger than in years past. Where Kevin Warren and Ryan Poles will go with this decision will be the biggest in the history of the franchise.
Ryan Poles has failed to match Ryan Pace when it comes to talent evaluation
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