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It comes with the territory of being a good college football coach: the rumor of leaving for the NFL
It happens every offseason for big names across the country, and sometimes, before the season is even over. Take Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald for example.
The Wildcats had an intriguing 2018 season, making it to the Big Ten Championship. Fitzgerald, even before this year’s run, was a name heard fairly regularly when it comes to open NFL jobs.
Nothing ever came of it of course, and it doesn’t seem as though Fitzgerald has been seeking out these jobs. However, coaches rarely stay in one place for too long.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Fitzgerald could be the man to take over the Green Bay Packers:
The #Packers have interest in interviewing Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, sources say, and the connections are clear. This could be the one time Fitzgerald takes the interview. From this article https://t.co/2F75irh9f4 pic.twitter.com/V2NhOovkTM
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 30, 2018
Only time will tell if something truly materializes from this, but we’ve all heard the expression, “where there is smoke, there is fire.”
Fitzgerald signed a 10-year contract extension through 2026 last spring. Northwestern is playing Utah in the Holiday Bowl at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31.
Kevin covers Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.