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Houston Texans: A scenario where Bill O’Brien could be traded not fired

By Brian K. Patterson

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 03: Head coach Bill O'Brien of the Houston Texans reacts against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium on December 3, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 03: Head coach Bill O'Brien of the Houston Texans reacts against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium on December 3, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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The Houston Texans are sputtering toward the finish line with all of the injuries they had to endure throughout this season but as Black Monday comes upon us, Bill O’Brien is certainly in the fray of rumors in regard to the uncertainty of his future here.  Since he does have value, I strongly believe he could be traded instead of fired.  Here’s why.

The Houston Texans off season will be reality in just one day from now and there will be some retooling going on, particularly on the offensive line as well as the secondary which were two units that drastically under-performed this season.

The issues that they’ve had with coverage throughout the season won’t be fixed overnight but if they utilize the up-and-coming talent around them and go out get some guys to help via free agency or the draft, it certainly will be a step in the right direction.

The Problem

But who knows if the current regime running the Houston Texans will be around?  This may be someone else’s work to complete once it’s all said and done.  The Chron’s Aaron Wilson wrote in a great piece about the turmoil-like relationship between Rick Smith and Bill O’Brien, indicating that the marriage is failing to work.  Will there be a split?  That’s likely because I don’t think Bob McNair wants to put both in a uncomfortable situation with the pair continuing to work together.

I like O’Brien and I’ve praised Smith when he was able to unload Brock Osweiler and grab Deshaun Watson out of the first round to provide an immediate jolt to fix our quarterback woes but the sad part is the best for us to get a clean break is let both go out into the pasture.

If such a scenario were to happen, if he were to accept, Smith would be re-assigned duties in the organization.  He’d keep his V.P. title but the general manager would stripped away so he doesn’t have his hands so much in the day-to-day operations.  I highly doubt he’d ever be fired from the franchise completely because of the tight pact he has between the McNairs.

But more interesting scenario is what to do with O’Brien.  He has tremendous value at this moment and if he were fired, there would be tons of interest in regard to his services.  The New York Giants are obviously looking for a coach but jobs could open up in Arizona, Denver and possibly even Detroit as well.

But try this on for size…

In the NFL, although rare, head coaches can still be traded and it’s possible that O’Brien could be

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dealt for draft picks.  We all know that we don’t have a first or second round pick this off season and it’s quite possible we can pry away some picks from a team that has a ton of them to work with.  I could actually see this scenario happening.

What if the Giants trade their first-round pick — and possibly another lower one with multiples in future seasons — in order build our draft stock back up once again?  I think that’s a decent return if these two can’t work with each other any longer.  The Giants own every pick early pick this draft so they would be an obvious trade partner.

Hell, Jon Gruden was traded at the turn of the century from the Oakland Raiders to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 1st and 2nd in 2002, a 1st in 2003 a 2nd-rounder in 2004 in addition to cash attached to the deal.  It was one of the most unique and largest trades in NFL history.

As you know, the rest was like poetic justice, Gruden led the Bucs to win Super Bowl XXXVII the following season and he immediately became a worldwide household name.

Next: Why Bill O'Brien deserves a contract extension

Back to the aforementioned, I would also imagine that there’s mutual interest in O’Brien from that franchise because of the amount of respect that he commands in this league.

Will it actually happen?  I seriously doubt it but one can’t rule it out.  The plot will continue to thicken until we find out what the Texans decide to do to which they’ve absolutely mum on the whole ordeal.

Let’s hope for the best — go Texans.

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