There are six coaching vacancies in the NFL. Could there be a seventh tomorrow?
It’s possible, if the Texans lose today.
We noted last weekend -- after the Texans had already clinched the AFC South -- that Houston coach Bill O’Brien could be fired, or leave the team in a mutual decision. Today Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that multiple teams with coaching vacancies think O’Brien may be available if the Texans are bounced out of the playoffs today.
Playoff teams rarely get rid of their coaches, but it has happened before, as when the Broncos fired John Fox following a loss in the divisional round of the playoffs two years ago. That happened in large part because Fox and Broncos G.M. John Elway weren’t seeing eye to eye, and there have been reports that O’Brien and Texans G.M. Rick Smith don’t see eye to eye.
If O’Brien were to become available tomorrow, he’d likely be considered a strong candidate for multiple teams that have a coaching vacancy. And so those teams will be watching today’s game closely.