The Chicago Bears are doing some Christmas shopping early in December after firing Matt Eberflus on “Black Friday.” The Bears promoted offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as their interim head coach for the last five games of the season, giving Chicago’s front office a trial to see how the 38-year-old can do running a team.
The Bears have a variety of top options to replace Eberflus with before the 2025 season. The defense has plenty of solid pieces, and many coaches around the country would love for the opportunity to pair with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, Caleb Williams.
Marcus Freeman to the Chicago Bears?
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports named an intriguing option for the Bears. Jones thinks Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is someone for Bears fans to keep tabs on during the hiring cycle.
“Another name worth keeping an eye on is Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman,” Jones wrote. “The Bears drafted Freeman in 2009, and he has since gone on to lead the Fighting Irish to a College Football Playoff position this season with an 11-1 record. Freeman, 38, is from the Midwest, and sources have indicated he will draw NFL interest in the coming weeks as he’s midway through a six-year contract in South Bend.”
Bears GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren will make the decision on the next head coach of the Bears https://t.co/oNtlyhtHTL
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) December 1, 2024
The Bears drafted Freeman in 2009
Freeman was a two-time All-Big Ten linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Bears drafted Freeman in the fifth round of the 2009 draft. Chicago waived him in September of the 2009 season. Freeman retired in May 2010 due to a heart condition.
The 38-year-old got his first start in coaching as a graduate assistant for Ohio State in 2010. He had coaching stops with Kent State and Purdue before taking the defensive coordinator position at Cincinnati in 2017. Following four seasons with the Bearcats, Freeman took the Notre Dame DC job in 2021.
When Brian Kelly left the Fighting Irish for LSU, Freeman was promoted to head coach. He’s gone 30-9 as Notre Dame’s head coach.
During his three-year tenure at Notre Dame, Freeman has 11 wins over Top 25 opponents. He also has head-scratching losses to Marshall and Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium. Freeman’s Irish have an 11-1 record and No. 5 ranking in 2024. Notre Dame is expected to host a home game in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
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