FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill O’Brien is committed to the long term in Houston, and he plans on entering next season as the Texans’ head coach.
O’Brien emphatically stated Saturday night his intentions to return as Texans head coach, moments after the New England Patriots eliminated his team in an AFC divisional-round game.
“I’ll be back next season. I’ll be the Texans’ head coach,” O’Brien said shortly after his team’s 34-16 defeat. “I signed a five-year contract, this is Year 3. Like I’ve also said, I need to do a better job. Overall, we need to do a better job, especially on offense.”
There was some chatter about whether O’Brien’s job could be in jeopardy or he could be considered by other teams with openings. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Saturday the Texans have no plans to move on from O’Brien, and as the coach stated Saturday night, he has no intentions of leaving.
“I’m really just tired of answering it,” he added. “You can’t even have a sense of humor about it. If you have a sense of humor about it, people run with that. I’m going to be the head coach of the Houston Texans. I’m looking forward to working this offseason to improve the team. I really enjoy coaching this team. I have a lot of great feelings about the guys in that locker room.”
The Texans have gone 9-7 in each of O’Brien’s three seasons as head coach, winning the AFC South in each of the last two seasons. The playoffs, however, haven’t been kind to O’Brien and the Texans. Houston has won just one of three playoff games since he took over, and that one win came last week against an Oakland Raiders team playing without starting quarterback and MVP candidate Derek Carr.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
