The New York Giants received bad news on Monday morning, with the announcement that Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman would be returning to the school after considering interviewing in the upcoming NFL cycle.
The Fighting Irish coach also “received an enhanced contract from the university,” according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
Freeman reportedly would’ve been a top candidate for New York’s vacant head coaching job, according to USA Today’s Art Stapleton.
https://x.com/art_stapleton/status/1997805819749171407?s=20
Now, the Giants will have to look elsewhere for their leader, which will likely eliminate the possibility of that head coach coming from the college ranks.
The Notre Dame coach was the only collegiate coach garnering serious interest around the NFL.
Marcus Freeman Unwilling to Leave Notre Dame
According to SNY’s New York Giants insider Connor Hughes, the discussion surrounding Freeman was never about New York wanting him; that much was clear, but if the coach was willing to leave the program he had built at Notre Dame.
“Everything I hear about Marcus Freeman & the #Giants doesn’t center around whether or not New York wants him, but if he’s willing to leave Notre Dame,” Hughes wrote in a post on X last week.
“I think he’d be a home run hire & exactly what they are looking for as a culture builder. Wouldn’t rule out Kafka returning as OC.”
Of course, this was before the news that Freeman would be staying in South Bend, but it does pull back the curtain on what kind of person the Giants brass is searching for in their pursuit of the franchise’s next head coach.
Looking ahead for the Fighting Irish, they’ll have a prime opportunity to compete in the College Football Playoff for the foreseeable future.
After their controversial snubbing from this year’s iteration of the playoffs, Notre Dame is guaranteed a playoff spot as long as they’re ranked within the top 12 at the end of the college football season.
With that special privilege, Freeman and the Fighting Irish are in a unique position to compete for a National Championship as long as they take care of their business during the season.
For that reason alone, it’s attractive enough for the head coach to want to stick around for at least a few more seasons and put his jump to the NFL on hold.
Giants Will Still Have Plenty of HC Options
Despite the spurning from Freeman, the New York Giants are still predicted to be an attractive opening for prospective head coaching candidates.
ESPN Giants insider Jordan Ranaan wrote as much regarding the job opening.
“It’s not like they won’t have options. One source with intimate knowledge of the opening described the Giants job as ‘highly coveted’ due to it’s young core and — they are the New York Giants, still a marquee franchise,” wrote Ranaan.
“It was a sentiment also shared by several other agents with candidates who are interested in the position.”
As for the type of coach they’re keeping an eye out for, the Giants’ interest in Freeman signals the archetype they believe is the best fit for the current state of the football team.
Pivoting from the offensive specialist Brian Daboll would be a CEO-type head coach, someone who keeps tabs on all sides of the football, but allows his assistant coaches to run the show for each specific facet of the game.
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