Against all odds, these rumors are not going away... With more and more NFL teams in need of a new head coach, some clubs with vacancies are still looking at Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman as a solution to all of their problems. At this time, there are eight teams who need new head coaches in the NFL. Not one of them have filled their vacancies just yet. Will he be leaving?
Well, Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network reported on the latest rumors surrounding Freeman Sunday.
"Remember on Dec. 29. It was all the way to last year. Marcus Freeman, the Notre Dame coach, put out a statement saying, '2026. Run it back. Go Irish!' Yes, and every NFL team that covets him has an opening and views him as highly as they do, basically, ignored that."
Rapoport continued by saying that Freeman's contract does not prevent him from going to the NFL.
"My understanding is Marcus Freeman who did receive a contract adjustment, not an extension, from Notre Dame for his agreement to stay. These teams who viewed him highly still believe there is a chance that he comes to the NFL. They still believe he is a top-tier candidate."
He finished by saying that Freeman to the NFL would probably not follow a normal interview process.
"Now, it would probably not be like, Marcus Freeman coming in and interviewing. It would be they go through the process and then say, 'This is the guy we want!' That's really the only way it would work, but Marcus Freeman still looms large in the NFL coaching carousel."
Here is everything Rapoport had to say about the Freeman to the NFL rumors on Sunday morning.
"Marcus Freeman still looms large in the NFL coaching carousel."
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 11, 2026
Teams are not giving up on trying to get the Notre Dame HC to make the jump from college to the league, per @RapSheet. pic.twitter.com/uwgJFWELeJ
Of course, news of Freeman being in a legal situation near South Bend bubbled to the surface later...
The Marcus Freeman to the NFL rumors are unfortunately not going away
Look. This is about his NFL coaching prospects and not the incident involving his son at a local high school wrestling match. Those are two separate entities. If we are to talk about the NFL coaching carousel, we have eight openings across the league as of Sunday afternoon: Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Miami, the New York Giants, and Tennessee. Others may open soon.
The most likely team to join the octet would have to be Green Bay. Matt LaFleur was quasi on the hot seat, but Saturday night's collapse to the arch rival Chicago Bears was shameful. Could Freeman be a candidate there? Of the eight teams with openings, New York feels like the team most connected to Freeman. He could also be a fit in places like Baltimore, Las Vegas, maybe even in Atlanta, potentially.
Right now, we should expect for every NFL team with a head-coaching vacancy to at least vet the situation. Would Freeman be a fit for them? To be totally honest, why would he leave Notre Dame for any of thse NFL jobs? Baltimore is the best gig out there, but who knows what John Harbaugh covered up for years in The Charm City. New York may want him the most, but we must wait and see.
At this time, Freeman's bank account will continue to grow by the Irish head coach has more leverage.