A source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle that the relationship between Texans HC Bill O’Brien and GM Rick Smith is “toxic” and “dysfunctional.”
Wilson, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, reports that the issues between Smith and O’Brien could lead to an either-or-situation going forward.
If Smith and O’Brien both returned for the 2018 season, a separate source tells Wilson that it’s possible they could keep working together but it would still be an “uneasy alliance.”
Interestingly enough, a third source that spoke to Wilson said he would be “kind of surprised” if the Texans don’t make a change.
O’Brien has one more year remaining on his contract, but forcing him to return next year would be maintaining a difficult work environment for the team.
Many believe O’Brien would be the top free agent coach if the Texans moved on from him, which could set up a potential trade opportunity for Houston.
If O’Brien ends up being available either as a free agent or as a trade candidate, Wilson lists the Buccaneers, Lions and Titans three teams that could make sense, given his ties to their GMs.
It’s worth mentioning that O’Brien has been tossed out as a potential replacement to Bruce Arians with the Cardinals.
Earlier this week, O’Brien said he wouldn’t quit and plans to coach the Texans as long as they want him in Houston.
“Yeah, sure,” O’Brien said when asked if he would be willing to coach the Texans in 2018, even if he doesn’t get an extension. “As long as they want me to coach this team, I’ll coach the team. We have a good staff, we work very hard. It hasn’t been a good year, we know that. We know the business. we’re not blind to what goes on in the NFL.
“Everybody understands that it’s a bottom-line business but we believe in what we do and again, a lot of those decisions aren’t made by me. So, I just do the best job I can to work with the staff and the players to try to get a win on Sunday.”
According to Michael Lombardi, this doesn’t come as much of surprise, as there has been talk about the issues within the Texans for a while now. Lombardi says that no one believes O’Brien will be in Houston next year because owner Bob McNair “loves” Smith.
O’Brien, 48, was hired by the Texans back in 2014 after spending a few years at Penn State. Since taking the job with Houston, O’Brien has led them to a record of 31-32 (49.2 percent) to go along with two playoff appearances.
We’ll have more regarding O’Brien and his future with the Texans as the news is available.
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