Seems There Is More To The Marcus Freeman Smoke Than We Thought

The Chicago Bears have been busy for the past two weeks lining up interviews with several different coaches. To date, they have met with 17 candidates, 14 of them virtual and three in person. One name absent from the list is Marcus Freeman. The Notre Dame head coach has dismissed any discussions of interviews with other teams, keeping all of his focus on the upcoming national championship game against Ohio State. Many took that to believe he has no interest in an NFL job.

However, that may not be the case. There is a belief around the league that Chicago is determined to at least speak with him. Much of it comes from team president Kevin Warren, whom Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron revealed is a big fan.

If Warren does want to swing big, the name he may be focused on is Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman. Freeman has quickly risen in the coaching ranks since taking over at Notre Dame. Freeman has built Notre Dame into a true title contender and just received a massive extension from the university last month.

A couple of media members have talked about Warren having an affinity for Freeman, and a source to WCG confirmed that Warren has Freeman “near or at the top of his personal list."

One source revealed to SM that the Irish head coach is interested in speaking with the Bears, but not until after the national championship game. That takes place on Monday night. Whether he's humoring them with a meeting or genuinely interested in jumping remains unclear.

Marcus Freeman could be the wild card in this game.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson remains the focal point. Most believe the Bears are committed to making a run at him now that his team's been eliminated from the playoffs. GM Ryan Poles loves him. He is the one leading the search. Perhaps Warren is at least hoping to meet Freeman in person to gauge his interest in the job while also giving Poles a chance to see the qualities that have made him so successful. In three seasons, Freeman has gone 33-8 and has won five consecutive bowl/playoff games.

The primary concern with him is almost no NFL background. Aside from his brief stint as a rookie in 2009, all of his football experience comes at the collegiate level. History says college coaches who have no experience working in the pros often struggle to command NFL locker rooms. Grown men don't respond to the same motivational style college coaches usually exude. Marcus Freeman would have to tell the Bears how he can overcome those concerns, presuming they care enough to ask about it.