NFL Rumors: Pat Fitzgerald Open to NFL HC Jobs; Ohio State's Ryan Day Is Not

Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is reportedly on the "radar" for the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions and Houston Texans as they seek to fill head coaching vacancies during the 2021 NFL offseason.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported Sunday that Fitzgerald, who's traditionally turned down NFL interest quickly, is more willing to listen to pitches following changes within the Northwestern athletic department, and the "right owner may be able to convince Fitzgerald to leave" the college ranks.

The 46-year-old Illinois native was a star linebacker at Northwestern from 1993 through 1996 and returned to the Wildcats in 2001 as a defensive backs coach after stops as an assistant at Maryland, Colorado and Idaho.

He worked his way through the ranks at his alma mater before being named head coach in 2006 following the death of Randy Walker.

Fitzgerald has since proven himself as one of the top coaches in college football by transforming the non-traditional football power into a frequent contender in the Big Ten.

The conference's 2018 Coach of the Year has complied a 106-81 record with 10 bowl appearances across 15 years with the Wildcats. He guided the team to a 7-2 mark this season with a trip to the Big Ten title game and a victory over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl.

Fitzgerald has been rumored as a potential NFL coaching candidate for the better part of a decade after his initial success at Northwestern, but he's rarely given the opportunities serious consideration.

"Hashtag 'Go 'Cats,' man. I'm not going anywhere. This is home forever," Fitzgerald told reporters in January 2019 amid rumors of NFL interest.

He's expected to discuss the situation with his family and will then decide whether to accept NFL interviews, but he's going to remain "judicious" if he decides to talk with pro teams, per La Canfora.

The Falcons, Lions and Texans all have franchise quarterbacks in place—Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson, respectively—but each rank among the bottom five teams in total defense this year.

In turn, the connection to Fitzgerald and his strong defensive pedigree makes sense on paper. Whether those jobs would be of interest to him is less certain, though.