Bill O’Brien has not been in the NFL since the Houston Texans fired him on Oct. 5, 2020, after an 0-4 start to the season.
Houston fired O’Brien, and the once coach and general manager went back to the coaching ranks the next season to be the offensive coordinator at Alabama under legendary coach Nick Saban.
According to Luke Easterling from the Bucs Wire, O’Brien would be a name to watch as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seek a new offensive coordinator following the firing of Byron Leftwich.
Tom Brady could retire or play elsewhere next season, but if he wants to return for another year in Tampa, O’Brien could make plenty of sense as Leftwich’s replacement.
Brady and O’Brien have history together from their time in New England, where O’Brien was Brady’s quarterbacks coach for three seasons and offensive coordinator for one. Continuity and familiarity are incredibly important to Brady, so if he wants to come back in 2023, hiring O’Brien might be part of the pitch from the Bucs.
Ahead of the Texans’ Week 13 matchup with the New England Patriots in 2019, which turned out to be O’Brien’s lone win over his former team, the former Texans coach elaborated on what makes Brady great.
“What is always impressive about Tom is how he adapts to the game itself, how he adapts to his team, how he does what’s right for the team,” O’Brien told reporters Nov. 27, 2019. “I think that’s huge. You just really have to look at how he plays the games. He gets them into the right plays, he doesn’t turn the ball over, he makes good decisions for the team, he reserves the right to punt once in a while — although I know he doesn’t like to punt. But he does whatever it takes for the team to win.”
If the Buccaneers are willing to do whatever it takes to keep Brady, tabbing O’Brien might be a decent option.
