BREAKING: Houston Texans Have Hired Bill O’Brien As New Head Coach
By Yoni Pollak
There it is Texans fans!!! Happy New Year! Adam Schefter (ESPN) was the first to tweet the news.
Filed to ESPN from me and @mortreport: Bill O'Brien has reached agreement to become the new head coach of the Houston Texans, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2014
It’s technically not official until the pen reaches the paper, and John McClain (Houston Chronicle) says it will likely be official on Thursday, though they may wait until Saturday.
Texans reached an agreement with Bill O'Brien tonight. Will b announced Thursday.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) January 1, 2014
Texans are expected to introduce Bill O'Brien as their new head coach by Saturday, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2014
UPDATE – 1/1/13 11:28 AM
NFL sources: new Texans head coach Bill O'Brien agreed to a 5 year contract..
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) January 1, 2014
O’Brien was an assistant for the New England Patriots between the 2007 and 2011 seasons, and was the offensive coordinator for the Patriots AFC Championship team. O’Brien left the Patriots following the 2011 season to become the head coach at Penn State. There, he was the Big Ten coach of the year in 2012, leading the team to an 8-4 record. In 2013, O’Brien coached the team to a a 7-5 record with a freshman quarterback (Christian Hackenberg) and still under heavy sanctions from the NCAA for previous actions at Penn State.
O’Brien, 44, has always wanted to coach in the NFL. Following his first season with the Nittany Lions, O’Brien interviewed for jobs with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns, however he ultimately decided to stay with Penn State as he felt it wouldn’t be right to leave after one season.
After two seasons with the Nittany Lions, O’Brien decided now is the time to leave. O’Brien finishes his career at Penn State with a 15-9 record over two seasons.
Just yesterday, Chris Mortenson (ESPN) reported a deal was expected by today. Mike Silver (NFL.com) also said that Bob McNair wanted things wrapped up by Tuesday.
RT @taniaganguli: On NFL Live, @mortreport said the #Texans deal with O'Brien is imminent and expects it to be done in the next 24 hours.
— House Of Houston (@HouseOfHouston) December 30, 2013
From @MikeSilver: Texans' owner Bob McNair "very much spearheading" head coaching search & telling people they’d like to be done by Tuesday
— NFL Media (@NFLMedia) December 29, 2013
Much of the Bill O’Brien speculation heated up just this past Saturday when Adam Schefter tweeted the following:
From @mortreport and me: Penn St's Bill O'Brien/Texans already have met, working on a deal. O'Brien favorite. http://t.co/kXBYVDPqr4
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 28, 2013
Here’s what Schefter had to say in the article (click here if link above doesn’t work):
"Bill O’Brien has emerged as the overwhelming favorite to become the next coach of the Houston Texans, and the two sides are working to get a deal in place within the next week, league sources told ESPN.O’Brien met with the Texans this week after Christmas at his home in Cape Cod, resulting in intensified discussions they hope will culminate with a finalized contract, the sources said.The Texans still have a short list of candidates in case talks break down with the Penn State coach, sources added.The Texans also are being assisted by Jed Hughes, who heads a sports executive search firm, per sources."
Earlier this month, the Texans interviewed Lovie Smith for the head coaching vacancy. The Texans were also expected to interview San Diego Chargers OC Ken Whistenhunt though those plans fell through when the Chargers made the playoffs. Whistenhunt was one of the favorites for the job following his revival of the Chargers offense, as well as his connection with Texans GM Rick Smith.
Bill O’Brien is now the head coach of your Houston Texans. Check out our own Marcus Chavez’s thoughts on Bill O’Brien as he wonders if O’Brien is the answer for the Texans.