Houston Texans Set To Interview Bill O'Brien For Head Coaching Vacancy

The name Bill O'Brien has been thrown around here as a potential candidate for the Texans' vacant head coaching position. Now the interest appears to be mutual.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Texans will bring in the Penn State head coach to interview for the job.

Currently, O'Brien is under contract with Penn State through 2016, thanks to a clause in his deal that adds on an additional four years for any unexpected sanctions the football program is hit with. O'Brien supposedly requested that his contract buyout fee be lowered from a whopping $19 million to a much more manageable $6.5 million. The reason behind this buyout reduction is believed to be that O'Brien expected to get attention from NFL teams in search of his services. $6.5 million is still a lot of money to shell out for a coach with two years of head coaching experience, so the buyout could still pose a problem (albeit a smaller one) for the Texans, or any NFL team, that would want to hire him.

A Bit About O'Brien:

O'Brien, who took over the Penn State program in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, has compiled a 15-9 record over two seasons with the Nittany Lions. Considering the sanctions that school is under (severely reduced scholarships and a four year bowl ban), he has done a tremendous job at Penn State. Prior to taking the gig at Penn State, O'Brien was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, where he moved up the food chain from wide receivers coach to quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator.

Whether O'Brien leaves or stays at Penn State remains up in the air. Last year, he interviewed for the head coach position with the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, but decided to stay with Penn State after stating, "I’m not a one-and-done guy. I made a commitment to these players at Penn State and that’s what I am going to do. I’m not gonna cut and run after one year, that's for sure."

Texans fans, at least it's not Lovie Smith or Ken Whisenhunt.

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