Report: Bears' latest targets include Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, Ron Rivera

Field Level Media|published: Sun 12th January, 22:52 2025

NCAA Football: Orange Bowl-Notre Dame at Penn State

(EDITORS NOTE: caption correction) Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears intend to interview Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman for their head coaching vacancy, NFL Network reported Sunday.

Freeman, of course, has more pressing matters at the moment. The head coach is guiding the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish into a clash against eighth-seeded Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

Freeman owns a 33-9 coaching record with Notre Dame and sits one victory shy of leading the program to its first national championship since the 1988 season.

The 39-year-old Freeman also is no stranger to the Bears. He was selected by Chicago in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.

Another former Bears player, Ron Rivera -- who has served as the head coach for the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders -- interviewed for the Chicago job Sunday.

Rivera, who recently celebrated his 63rd birthday, has a 102-103-2 record as an NFL head coach, coaching for nine years in Carolina and another four in Washington. His Carolina tenure was by far the more successful one, including four playoff seasons and an NFC championship in 2015.

A nine-year pro, Rivera was selected in the second round (44th overall) by the Bears in the 1984 NFL Draft and, as a reserve linebacker, was a member of the famed 1985 Super Bowl champions.

The Bears are searching for a head coach to replace Matt Eberflus, who was fired after Week 13 with the team at 4-8. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown finished the season with a 1-4 mark as Chicago wound up in last place in the tough NFC North.

The Bears are scheduled to interview Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, as well as offensive coordinators Kliff Kingsbury (Washington Commanders), Todd Monken (Baltimore Ravens) and Arthur Smith (Pittsburgh Steelers) this week.

They already have interviewed offensive coordinators Ben Johnson (Detroit Lions), Drew Petzing (Arizona Cardinals) and Mike Kafka (New York Giants), defensive coordinators Aaron Glenn (Lions) and Anthony Weaver (Miami Dolphins), and former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel also interviewed, but he is out of the running after being named the coach of the New England Patriots on Sunday.

--Field Level Media

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