NFL rumors: Surprising Bears candidate, Marcus Freeman's future, Jets' disadvantage
By John Buhler
With the Sunday slate of the NFL Divisional Round on the horizon and the College Football Playoff National Championship Game coming up on Monday, we should expect to see even more movement when it comes to the NFL coaching carousel by the end of next week. Six NFL teams still need to hire a new head coach, including teams like the Chicago Bears and the New York Jets. Who will they get?
One candidate for the Bears job is Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. He has been tied to the Bears for months now, but he may just want to coach in college. He is about to coach in the biggest game of his life on Monday night, as he takes on his alma mater of Ohio State in the national championship. Right now, Freeman remains an intriguing coaching candidate to potentially move up.
So as you get ready for Los Angeles at Philadelphia, Baltimore at Buffalo and Notre Dame vs. Ohio State, take some time to sink your teeth into these absolutely delicious NFL rumors. Trust me, it will be a better use of your time than finding out how the Los Angeles Dodgers are absolutely ruining baseball. What if I told you they just signed your favorite team's marquee free agent at a premium?
Let's start by unpacking the very latest when it comes to the Jets attempting to take flight yet again.
New York Jets have a huge disadvantage regarding hiring a head coach
The New York Jets were the first team to fire their head coach, and they might be the last to hire a new one. Punting on Robert Saleh mid-season should have jumpstarted the Jets' hiring cycle more than it has. Jeff Ulbrich served as the interim, but has left to join the Atlanta Falcons staff as their next defensive coordinator. Let's be real. He was never really a candidate for the job to even begin with...
What is incredibly concerning are the comments Mike Sando of The Athletic has gathered in connection to the Jets' head-coaching vacancy. It is considered to be the "toughest job" on the market because of its lousy ownership and the massive media market in which the team plays. With Aaron Rodgers' future in flux, this job has become less appealing as other ones have opened up.
Sando wrote the following when it comes to why the Jets job might be the hardest one to fill now.
"This is seen as the toughest job because of an impulsive owner and an unforgiving, relentless media market. The next coach also must figure out what to do at quarterback, where Aaron Rodgers remains under contract but could retire."
An anonymous executive threw a wrench in the Jets' having a deep candidate pool for the job.
"I don't know what you do for the Jets, and looking at their interview list, I'm not sure they know either."
For my money, I think the Jets need to go with an alpha male, defensive-minded head coach, preferably one with previous head-coaching experience. This is because any time the Jets have ben great in my lifetime, they have been led by a head coach with similar traits. At the end of the day, they need to go with a defense-first type of coach because any time it has been offense, it has been awful.
Reading between the lines, this suggests that Aaron Glenn might prefer the New Orleans Saints job.
The latest on what Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman wants to do
We will not know what Marcus Freeman's plans for next season will be until after the clock has struck zero in Atlanta on Monday night. Either Freeman's Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be crowned national champions for the first time this century, or they will finish as the runner-up like they did a decade ago under his predecessor Brian Kelly. Not until Tuesday will we all know what Freeman wants to do here.
The latest intel suggests Freeman is keeping this extra close to the vest. He is reportedly not going to hear or entertain NFL interview opportunities until the college football season ends. Freeman did receive a massive extension from Notre Dame ahead of the Fighting Irish's playoff run. The big question is if that will be enough to keep the team who drafted him out of Ohio State from poaching.
Yes, the Chicago Bears have a chance to hire their former fifth-round pick as their next head coach. They have wanted to speak to him for several weeks now. I am not entirely sure he will get the chance. While I do think he would be a fantastic hire for the Bears, I think the chances of Freeman returning to the college game in 2025 are quite great. However, I do think he makes the leap to the NFL one day.
For now, Freeman and the rest of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a national championship to win.
You will never guess who the Chicago Bears brought in for an interview...
The Chicago Bears are being extra diligent when it comes to replacing Matt Eberflus as their next head coach. They have interviewed seemingly everyone of note not named Marcus Freeman up to this point. Of the 17 head-coaching candidates the Bears have reportedly talked to, one comes as a great surprise to everyone. That would be former Tennessee Titans legend Eddie George. Wait, what?
Yes, the Bears interviewed the former Titans star and the current head coach at Tennessee State.
While George has a proven track record as a strong head coach at Tennessee State, the Tigers compete at the HBCU level of college football, and the Bears play in the NFL. Not to say that George may not become an NFL head coach one day, but that is quite a leap up in competition. Then again, he is having more success at Nissan Stadium than the team the former running back once starred for.
Look. I appreciate the Bears doing an incredibly thorough search to hire their next head coach. It serves them to find the best candidate for their franchise. However, for as long as the McCaskeys own the team, Kevin Warren is in the building and Ryan Poles is calling the shots from the war room, none of this will matter for Chicago. George or whoever is hired will eventually be a sacrificial lamb.
Interestingly enough, this job is seen as a far more appealing one than the flightless New York Jets.