The Jaguars are set to interview former Texans head coach and current Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien for their head coaching vacancy. The interview, slated for sometime after Alabama’s National Championship Game on Monday (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport), comes as a surprise.
O’Brien led the Texans to four playoff berths in six full seasons, including 2015 and ’16 when he had the likes of Brian Hoyer and Brock Osweiler under center. Still, the Texans went just 9-7 in each season and came up short in the playoffs, despite having with Deshaun Watson at quarterback. All in all, Houston won two playoff games under O’Brien before his 2020 ouster.
Of course, O’Brien also took considerable heat for his work as the Texans’ GM. He didn’t leave Houston on good terms either as he clashed with some of the team’s most prominent stars at practice.
“Bill is one of the brightest offensive minds in football, an outstanding teacher and excellent recruiter,” Nick Saban said upon hiring O’Brien last year. “He will strengthen our coaching staff and give our players the best possible chance to be successful.”
There are now nine known candidates for the Jaguars job. That list includes Bucs offensive coordinator Bryon Leftwich, who is interviewing with team brass Friday.
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