Marcus Freeman Turned Down 10 NFL Head Coaching Jobs to Stay at Notre Dame
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Marcus Freeman had ten NFL head coaching jobs to consider this offseason – and he chose none of them, explaining on Josh Pate’s College Football Show exactly why Notre Dame wasn’t something he was prepared to walk away from.
The 2026 NFL hiring cycle was unusually wide open, with ten of 32 head coaching positions turning over at once. Freeman’s name surfaced loudly, and unlike past cycles where he was deep in playoff preparation, this time there was genuine space to think. He took it seriously. He had conversations with GMs and front-office executives. He asked questions about what the league looks for in a head coach. And then he stayed in South Bend.
The 40-year-old coach has been at Notre Dame since taking over after Brian Kelly’s departure in late 2021, and his program’s momentum – capped by winning their final ten games of the season – only amplified the outside interest. Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua has described Freeman’s contract as a “living, breathing document,” and the school made a targeted contract adjustment earlier in the cycle to signal it was serious about keeping him. Freeman, for his part, was equally direct with his players about what was happening.
What Freeman Said
Speaking on the College Football Show, Freeman described how the noise around the NFL jobs hit differently this year: “The year before there was a little bit of chatter, but you’re in the playoffs, and that’s your only focus. This year got really loud after the end of the regular season… I did – I took a minute to really say, ‘What is this opportunity of being an NFL head coach?’ I’ve never coached in the NFL. I wanted to know what they look for, what they think it takes to be successful. And I gained some valuable knowledge.”
But when it came to the actual decision, Freeman’s reasoning was straightforward. “For me, it was the opportunity to be the head coach of this university was one that I wasn’t ready to let go. And I love this place. I love, more importantly, the people here, the opportunity to coach these young men, many of them you’ve recruited for multiple years. Like, that’s just something I’m not ready to let go of.”
NFL Interest Not Going Away
Freeman is a coach that NFL teams will keep circling annually, with the only open question being timing rather than fit. He is young enough – and Notre Dame prominent enough – that this conversation is not going away.
He also used the moment to deliver a message to his roster, pointing to running back Jeremiyah Love as a direct example of how team success creates individual opportunity. Love was a Heisman candidate and projected as a potential top-three pick in the 2026 draft. Freeman’s point was deliberate: “If we didn’t win those last ten, then he wouldn’t have been up for the Heisman, right? So it’s a reminder for all of us that, with team success comes individual opportunities.” That kind of head coaching philosophy – keeping individual ambition tethered to collective performance – is exactly what NFL organizations say they want in a leader.
What makes Freeman’s transparency unusual is that most coaches deny NFL interest right up until they leave. Freeman acknowledged it openly, told his players directly, and framed it as a teaching moment rather than a distraction. That is a different kind of program management.
All in all, Freeman staying at Notre Dame is good news for the Irish in the short term – stability, recruiting continuity, and a clear program identity heading into next season. But the NFL door is not closed. As long as Notre Dame keeps winning, his name will keep coming up, and the next hiring cycle will ask the same question all over again.
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