Marcus Freeman Addresses NFL Rumors, Reaffirms Commitment to Notre Dame

Marcus Freeman posted "2026 ... run it back. Go Irish" on X on Dec. 29, stating his intention to return as Notre Dame's football coach next season.

However, that hasn't tempered interest in Freeman from NFL teams. His name has consistently been mentioned over the last two weeks as nine teams search for a new coach, including the Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals.

While it could be intriguing to coach at the highest level, Freeman's plans for the immediate future remain unchanged.

"I'm the head coach at Notre Dame" Freeman said Wednesday. "And I've said this before that individual recognition, individual success, NFL interest, those are all a reflection of team success, right, and where this football program is."

"I've used some of the interest from the NFL to personally gain wisdom from maybe some of the GMs or the front office executives that you get a chance to talk to about your players, but also about what they view is a successful coach. Maybe it's an NFL coach, but what are some of the things they've seen that have made a coach successful in their organization or franchise and maybe not so successful. So I utilize these opportunities through conversations to gain knowledge myself to be the best head coach I can be of the Notre Dame Football program. So again, that's where my mindset is and I don't control the noise, but again, I know the noise that's in my head and where my focus is."

The noise that Freeman mentioned caused by reports of NFL teams' interest in him could cause some fans to think that he, too, has interest in the NFL. But according to Freeman, there was nothing to reevaluate in regard to Notre Dame.

He has everything he needs at Notre Dame, evidenced by his national championship appearance last season, highly-ranked incoming freshman class and recent haul of talented transfers.

"I didn't have to reevaluate, right. Other people may stay I reevaluated –– I didn't ever have to reevaluate, " Freeman said. "Again, the only statement I put out was, "let's run it back," right, and I was intentional about that. I don't need to come out with a statement every time one of these job openings happen. You know I always say the future's uncertain. That's what I tell our players. That's what I tell myself. It's the reality of life."

But everything I want and everything that I need personally can be achieved right here as the head coach of this program. So I hope this is something we have to address every year. I really do, because it means we're having a lot of success right here at Notre Dame. And if this isn't something we have to address, then there's bigger issues, I think, within what we're doing as a football program. Because as your program has success, these types of things are gonna occur."

While Freeman answered with conviction the first two questions about the NFL, he was more hesitant when it was phrased a certain way. Regarding whether he has personal interest or wants to be an NFL coach some day, he wasn't quite sure how to respond initially.

"Um, do I want to be? I mean, I don't really –– I've never done it. Um, you know, I don't know if –– I don't know enough about it, you know," Freeman said. "Maybe some time in the future if it's the right time and it's what I think is right for me, then maybe I'll pursue it."

"But I don't love wasting time thinking about things that aren't right in front of me. And so, I don't know what I'll want in how much length of time from now. I don't know. But I know right now that I am as convicted and motivated to being the best head coach of the Notre Dame football program as I can be."

Decipher what Freeman's comments mean for the future however you'd like. But for now, he's the head coach of Notre Dame, which has a strong mix of returning talent, incoming transfers and freshmen, that should put the Irish in the mix to contend for a national championship in 2026.