Surprising candidate named comfortable choice for Chicago Bears head coaching job

A shocking name has emerged as a 'comfortable choice' for the Chicago Bears in their search for a new head coach.

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

There's no shortage of candidates for the Chicago Bears head coaching job this offseason. The number of past coaches and current coordinators waiting in line for their interviews with GM Ryan Poles is beginning to feel like a bad dream.

The thing is, it's not a dream. It's very real. The Bears are no closer to hiring a head coach today than they were when their season ended with a surprise win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 18.

New candidates are added to Poles' interview list every day. Projections and predictions about who will land the Bears job dominate Bears talk. And just when you think the search is filtering down to two -- Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson -- another incredible sleeper gets thrown into the mix.

Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman.

MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Athletic recently named Freeman as the 'comfortable choice' for Poles and the Bears.

"The fit in Chicago could be comfortable for Warren and Poles because the 39-year-old Freeman, with no NFL coaching experience, might need to rely upon them for guidance, instead of insisting upon major structural changes or telling them how things actually work in the league," Mike Sando wrote. "

This isn't the first time Freeman has been mentioned as a possible match for the Chicago Bears. Poles leaked his interest in interviewing the Golden Domer after Notre Dame advanced to the National Championship game.

"Warren’s recent stint as commissioner of the Big Ten Conference could give him insights into and an appreciation for college candidates," Sando added. "It doesn’t hurt that Warren and Bears ownership have ties to Notre Dame. Freeman also was a 2009 Bears fifth-round draft choice."

Marcus Freeman is a longshot to coach the Bears

As much fun as it is to think about the Bears landing the hottest name in college football, I don't see it happening.

Freeman has quickly become football royalty in South Bend. He's built a program to sustain success in the new college football landscape, and at only 39, he has plenty of time to jump to the NFL.

For Marcus Freeman to leave now? When all of his hard work at Notre Dame is beginning to pay dividends? It just doesn't make sense. Even Caleb Williams agrees.

"I would stay put," Williams said of Freeman during an appearance on the St. Brown Bros Podcast. "He built everything over there. But if they (the Bears) interview him, we'll see. We'll see if he takes that."

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