Cross off Marcus Freeman’s name from the Giants coaching search.
Freeman informed two NFL franchises that he plans to stay at Notre Dame after agreeing to a restructured contract that puts him in the top tier of college coaches in terms of compensation, according to a Yahoo Sports report. The Giants and Titans are the only NFL teams with vacancies, though a handful of others are expected by next Monday.
Freeman, 39, was consistently tied to the Giants’ vacancy because of some peripheral ties between the organizations and because he fits the mold of an experienced CEO-style coach, but there is no evidence of any traction between the sides that would have put him ahead of other candidates on whom the Giants are doing their due diligence. That said, he likely would have been the top candidate to emerge from the NCAA ranks in any NFL coaching search.
Marcus Freeman Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
“2026…run it back,” Freeman wrote on X. “Go Irish.”
But Freeman has never coached in the NFL and would have required patience (and likely a long contract) to learn the ins and outs of the business, such as salary cap maneuvering and practice structures under the collective bargaining agreement. He also would have had to stretch his contacts to build an NFL caliber staff of assistants.
Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is a former college head coach (Boston College) who has spent much of his career before and after stints in college as an NFL assistant and a branch of the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree.
Hafley is one of at least four defensive coordinators expected to draw interest from the Giants, along with the Colts’ Lou Anarumo, Rams’ Chris Shula and Chargers’ Jesse Minter. Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and former Packers/Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy would provide expertise from the other side of the ball.
Freeman’s revised contract extends him through 2031, per Yahoo. The terms of an NFL buyout are not known, but league sources said it is typical to negotiate a lesser price for NFL teams than for other rival college programs.
S Jevón Holland (knee) did not return to Sunday’s game after he was injured covering the opening kickoff of the second half. It makes no sense to play him in the season finale, but interim head coach Mike Kafka indicated it is not the kind of serious injury that extends deep into the offseason.
“I don’t have the full story yet,” Kafka said. “I think we would know if it was really, really bad.”
The Giants are expecting to play their healthy starters and face the Cowboys starters in Week 18 despite both teams being eliminated from playoff contention.
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“We’re kind of just in our normal routine in terms of the workweek,” Kafka said. “That’s the plan right now.”
The first victorious plane ride home for the Giants in 448 days was one to remember. The Giants snapped a 13-game road losing streak by winning in Las Vegas and players were rewarded with an extra day off this week by Kafka.
“You can hear the guys talking about the game and the plays people were making. It was a cool atmosphere,” Kafka said. “You kind of walked around the plane, you felt the energy. And for all three phases to play the way they did, it was great for everyone to kind of be involved in that.”