To be honest, I do think there is something to it. He has been interviewed for head coach positions for 2 coaching cycles now (yes, Rooney Rule plays a role, but he's still the one getting those interviews), and Sean McVay was obviously high enough on him to make him the assistant head coach back in 2021 after one season as the Rams RB coach.
Brian Flores would have to do A LOT to convince me that he's not going to ruin the confidence of another young QB before I'd be interested in having him coach the Bears. I don't even think what he did is super unusual for a headstrong defensive head coach. I just think headstrong defensive head coaches generally hate offensive players, and especially offensive players who are inconsistent and make mistakes (so young players).
Freeman is a hilarious option. Yeah, sure, why don't we go with the defensive minded college coach with no experience coaching in the NFL? It doesn't check any of the boxes they're supposedly looking for, but half the fanbase are Notre Dame fans, so let's go for their coach.