National Football League

Houston Texans Fire Bill O'Brien

Updated Oct. 5, 2020 6:11 p.m. ET

One season after reaching the AFC Championship Game, the Houston Texans have begun the 2020 season by losing their first four games, which ultimately led to the firing of head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien on Monday.

Just hours before the news came down, O'Brien himself said that he was not worried about his job security after the rough start:

"All I can control is what I can control, and I've got to do a better job with the team. That's obvious. And we're going to work hard to do that."

O'Brien was hired as the head coach and general manager of the Texans in 2014, after spending the 2012 and 2013 seasons in the college ranks as the head coach at Penn State.

In his six full seasons as head coach of the Texans, the team finished above .500 five times and won the AFC South four times, the most successful six-season stretch in franchise history.

But a series of questionable moves by O'Brien, including trading superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals this past offseason, led to his departure in Houston, according to FOX Sports' Mark Schlereth.

"Although he has won multiple AFC South crowns, at the end of the day, questionable personnel decisions from Bill O’Brien the GM has cost Bill O’Brien the coach his job," said Schlereth.

Offensively, the Texans have struggled, averaging just 20.0 points per game so far this season, which ranks 29th in the NFL.

O'Brien's firing also comes on the heels of Houston blowing a 24-0 lead to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game at the end of the 2019 season.

Texans fans and NFL reporters took to social media in response to the firing:

Now, the franchise will turn its attention to finding the next man to lead their franchise, with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels reportedly being an option.

This is a developing story.

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