Marcus Freeman among early candidates for Chicago Bears' head coaching vacancy

NFL insiders are beginning to formulate the early list of candidates for the Chicago Bears head coaching vacancy.

While current interim head coach Thomas Brown is expected to be a candidate, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports added context for what the Bears are looking for in their next head coach.

Multiple sources tell CBS Sports the Bears want to land a "leader of men" type of head coach. Their background on offense or defense won't matter as much as their leadership abilities with a group of pro athletes in one of the largest media markets in America.

Jones' rough draft list of candidates certainly has some surprise elements. Among the early candidates listed by Jones are Detroit Lions' defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator Brian Flores, former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, and former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

Another surprising candidate mentioned by Jones is current Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coach Marcus Freeman. Freeman, who was drafted by the Bears in 2009, has been serving as Notre Dame's head coach since 2021. Following a 49-35 defeat over the USC Trojans on Saturday, Freeman has the Fighting Irish firmly at the center of the College Football Playoff discussions this month. Freeman's profile has been on the rise, given the recent success he has had with Notre Dame, but it's worth mentioning he has yet to coach at the NFL level.

Following the precedent that the Bears have set with their previous coaching hires, the next head coach will likely be an over-correction to the failures of the Matt Eberflus era. That would suggest an offensive-minded head coach who is also a proven leader of men. Considering many of these candidates are currently with other NFL teams, it's worth mentioning that this is all speculation at this point, with a true list of legitimate candidates not emerging until the final weeks of the regular season.