JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars are scheduled to interview current Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien on Thursday, according to reports. O’Brien would be the sixth candidate to interview for the Jaguars’ vacant head coaching position.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report the story.
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It was reported Tuesday that Indianapolis defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will interview on Saturday.
O’Brien joined the Alabama coaching staff this season, where he worked with his best friend and former Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone, who served as the offensive line coach for the Crimson Tide.
In six seasons plus four games as the Houston Texans’ head coach, O’Brien compiled a record of 52-48 and led the Texans to the AFC South championship in four seasons. Prior to his stint in Houston, he was the head coach at Penn State for two years, guiding the Nittany Lions to a record of 15-9. That followed the scandals involving Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky.
From 2007-2011, O’Brien was an assistant on Bill Belichick’s staff, serving as an offensive assistant, wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.
The #Jaguars will interview #Bama OC and ex-#Texans head coach Bill O’Brien tomorrow, source said. With 4 playoffs appearances in 6 seasons in HOU, O’Brien has a strong resume on the field. It fell apart when he got involved in personnel, and he has no plans for that this time.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 12, 2022
O’Brien’s tenure in Houston took a bad turn after he was named general manager of the team in January 2020. The position had been vacant in the previous year. During the 2020 offseason, O’Brien traded wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was coming off his third consecutive All-Pro season. In exchange for Hopkins and a fourth-round pick, the Texans received running back David Johnson from the Arizona Cardinals, a 2020 second-round pick and a fourth-round pick in 2021.
In the two seasons since the trade, Johnson has started half of the Texans games and run for just 919 yards and six touchdowns for Houston.
The Jaguars have previously interviewed former Colts and Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Others who have yet to be interviewed include the Jaguars’ interim head coach Darrell Bevell, and Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, scheduled on Friday. Other potential candidates include recently fired Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. There have been no reports that the Jaguars have reached out to Flores.