Report: Marcus Freeman expected to be a top candidate in New York Giants coaching search

Marcus Freeman is expected to be a top candidate for the New York Giants vacant head coaching position, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. The Giants are expected to interview a wide range of candidates for the job.

“Marcus Freeman, mentioned as a guy that should be in their coaching search,” Garafolo reported. “Yes, that is the case and I expect him to be the foremost among the college candidates.”

Garafolo noted that the Giants are expected to see some defensive-minded coaches interviewed, as well as veteran coaches from around the league. There’s no Ben Johnson-type candidate this offseason, Garafolo said, and with many of those coaches handling the play-calling for their respective teams, the offensive coaching pool is currently limited.

That search won’t get underway until after the season is over. They’ll be looking find the next coach to replace Brian Daboll, who was fired after a 2-8 start to the season. OC Mike Kafka has been serving as the franchise’s interim head coach in the meantime. Despite the change, the Giants currently hold a 2-12 record.

For Freeman, he led Notre Dame to a 10-2 finish in 2025. That included 10-straight wins following an 0-2 start, narrowly (and controversially) missing out of the College Football Playoff as the first team out. The year prior, Freeman led the Fighting Irish all the way to the national championship game before coming up short against Ohio State.

Since becoming Notre Dame’s head coach in 2021 — his first stint as a head coach period — he’s compiled a 38-10 record along the way, including a 5-2 record in the postseason. Because the Irish missed out on the College Football Playoff this season, the program opted out of their bowl game.

“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” the program said in a statement. “We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”

Now, the NFL appears to be calling Freeman’s phone in an attempt to poach him away from the Notre Dame program. While it remains to be seen if he’ll ultimately pursue it, it appears as though he’ll be on the Giants’ priority list this offseason.

For now, the Giants are gearing up to take on the Minnesota Vikings at home on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET live on FOX.