Just when you thought everything was coming up aces for the Notre Dame football program, its possible they won’t have Marcus Freeman around come February. Talk that the Chicago Bears are doubling down on their efforts to steal him away sparked up again on Sunday.
Freeman was linked to the Bears shortly after the NFL team fired head coach Matt Eberflus following an embarrassing Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions. However, things died down in the ensuring weeks and it seemed as if Chicago was looking at other NFL options like Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
However, Notre Dame football fans should start chewing on their fingernails as NFL insider Tom Pelissero says the Bears are pursuing an interview once again. He added that any such interview wouldn’t come until after the Irish take on Ohio State in the National Title Game.
The Bears are looking to interview Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman for their HC opening, per @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/fjujUFyVKW
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 12, 2025
Notre Dame football officially starts worrying
During his report on the NFL network, Pelissero said the Bears have done “extensive research for months” on Freeman. The analyst also said it would not be considered a shock if the coach - who just turned 39 on Friday - would at least think about making the jump.
Irish fans have spent the last month perhaps getting a bit too overconfident that Chicago had moved on from its pursuit of Marcus Freeman. He was called a “name to watch” back on December 1 and then mentioned as the odds on favorite just a few days later.
However, the focus turned to Notre Dame football’s chase for a College Football Playoff berth and then they just kept winning. If they win the whole thing, it seems likely that Chicago will try and pull Freeman away from South Bend, despite the young coach signing a contract extension this winter as well.