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Houston Texans: Owner Bob McNair Says Bill O’Brien Will Return

By Cody Williams

Dec 27, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Houston Texans owner Bob McNair greets Texans head coach Bill O'Brien as he leaves the field following the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Houston won 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Houston Texans owner Bob McNair greets Texans head coach Bill O'Brien as he leaves the field following the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Houston won 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /
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Following the Houston Texans’ AFC Wild Card win over the Oakland Raiders, owner Bob McNair shot down reports about head coach Bill O’Brien being fired.

Leading up to the Houston Texans’ AFC Wild Card matchup on Saturday, there was a great deal of talk about the future of their head coach, Bill O’Brien. Sure, O’Brien had led the team to consecutive AFC South titles and resulting playoff berths. However, the coach’s lack of commitment to Brock Osweiler—among other things—were reportedly points of concern for the front office.

Things were so serious that there were rumors that O’Brien could be fired at the end of the Texans season, even though that loss would come in the playoffs. What’s more, most seemed to accept that he’d be let go if the Texans lost to the Oakland Raiders on Saturday.

Houston did not lose to the Raiders, though, earning an emphatic 27-14 victory on Saturday at NRG Stadium. Following the win, though, Texans owner Bob McNair spoke about Bill O’Brien. He was quick to not only shut down the rumors that O’Brien would’ve been fired with a loss, but then went further to say that the head coach will return for the 2017 season:

Obviously you have to take this with a grain of salt. It’s the owner of a team still in the playoffs talking about his team’s future. Of course he’d say that O’Brien is staying as he wants to keep advancing in the postseason.

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With that said, we at least have to take this as at least somewhat substantial right now. The fact that McNair acknowledged the reports leading up to the game is big, showing that he wanted to snuff them out after this win. Whether or not the head coach ultimately leaves—be it through firing or on his own accord—still remains to be seen. For now, though, he’s onto the Divisional Round.

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