The Houston Texans appear to have found their new head coach in Penn State’s Bill O’Brien.
O’Brien emerged as one of the top candidates to fill Houston’s head coaching vacancy of late, and after the two sides reportedly met after Christmas, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is now reporting that they are “working to get a deal in place within the next week.”
O’Brien has been at the helm of Penn State for two seasons and was named the Big Ten coach of the year in 2012. Despite playing a large role in the Nittany Lions’ turnaround, O’Brien has shown an interest in returning to the NFL. The 44-year-old served as an assistant for the New England Patriots from 2007-2012, and before returning for his second season at Penn State, he interviewed with the Eagles and the Browns during the offseason.
O’Brien’s desire to return to the NFL even resulted in a contract extension with the university that included a reduced buyout for an NFL job.
After winning the first two games of the season, the Texans have since gone on to lose 13 straight. The Texans’ disastrous season resulted in the firing of head coach Gary Kubiak after a Week 14 loss to the Jacksonsville Jaguars.
