The Houston Texans have begun their head coaching search, and one name that is now being thrown around is that of Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien. Former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith is believed to be one of the top candidates for the job, and the Texans may have already interviewed him. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, O’Brien is another top choice.
On Thursday, Rapoport reported that O’Brien and the Texans have agreed to an interview. That would mean the interview has either already taken place or likely will in the near future. O’Brien’s buyout at Penn State was reduced from $13 million to $6.5 million in March, which would make it easier for him to jump to the NFL.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this story development is that the Texans official Twitter account linked to a story about Rapoport’s report on Friday morning. The story they linked to is one from the Texans’ official website. Typically, a team’s Twitter account and website would have the best interest of the team in mind and would not fuel speculation about a potential coaching hire.
If nothing else, this is somewhat of a first.
