The end of Bill O’Brien’s first NFL head coaching stint was ugly, to say the least.
Luckily for O’Brien, it might not end up being his last shot.
After nearly seven seasons with the Houston Texans ended in bitterness two October’s ago, O’Brien, currently Alabama’s offensive coordinator, reportedly has an interview with another AFC South team; The Jacksonville Jaguars.
#Jaguars to interview Bill O'Brien on Thursday
— Barb Layton (@RedZoneLayton) January 12, 2022
Barb Layton of Redzoneinsider.net reported Wednesday morning that Jacksonville is set to interview O’Brien for its head coaching vacancy Thursday.
When O’Brien– who had previously been linked to colligate coaching vacancies at LSU and Virginia Tech– was asked about the possibility of leaving Alabama last week, he said that his focus was only on the upcoming national championship game against Georgia. Now that the big game has passed, O’Brien has more time to turn his attention to other career possibilities.
O’Brien, of course, is known to Penn State fans as the coach who picked up the pieces after the Jerry Sandusky scandal. In two seasons in State College, O’Brien took over a program wrecked by NCAA sanctions and led it to a respectable 15-9 record between 2012 and ‘13 before leaving for the Texans.
Despite a rough ending that had O’Brien being removed as both head coach and general manager of the Texans before the 2020 season as even halfway over, O’Brien still had some success in Houston, winning the AFC South four times in six seasons. O’Brien’s career record in the NFL is 54-52.
The Jaguars, who ended their 2021 campaign with a 3-14 record, have been looking for a full-time head coach even since Urban Meyer’s dismissal in mid-December. Darrell Bevell served as interim coach for Jacksonville’s last four games.
