The Houston Texans could be in for an offseason of change. Despite finding their franchise quarterback in Deshaun Watson and making the playoffs twice since 2015, the Texans could be in the market for a new general manager or coach after their 4-11 season wraps up on Sunday.
According to a report from the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson, the relationship between general manager Rick Smith and coach Bill O'Brien is "toxic" and "dysfunctional," which could lead to changes in Houston this offseason.
From the Chronicle's report:
"It's toxic," one source said. "It's dysfunctional."
Another source speculated that Smith and O'Brien could keep working together but that it would be an "uneasy alliance" that's somewhat untenable.
A third source with knowledge of the situation said he would be "kind of surprised" if the Texans don't make a change.
Smith has been stationed in Houston as the team's GM since 2006, and he's posted a 92-99 record with four playoff appearances. He's been responsible for the drafting of top players like J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, DeAndre Hopkins, and Whitney Mercilus. Smith is under contract through 2020.
O'Brien didn't arrive in Houston until 2014 and under his watch, the Texans have gone 31-32 with two playoff appearances. So with O'Brien as his coach, Smith has been to the playoffs twice in four seasons. Without O'Brien, Smith helped the Texans to the playoffs twice in eight seasons. O'Brien is still under contract through the 2018 season.
Neither has been perfect at their jobs and neither has been a disaster, which makes the situation complicated. The Texans could decide to overlook this year's 4-11 season due to the injury issues that they've faced -- they've lost Watt, Mercilus, and Watson for the season -- but the Chronicle's report makes it sound like the relationship between Smith and O'Brien has gotten to the point where it'd be too difficult to keep both around:
Should McNair decide to punt and put off the decision until O'Brien's contract expires next year, sources say the Texans could be maintaining a difficult work environment.
O'Brien will likely find work if he gets fired. A ton of jobs are expected to be open this offseason and there aren't enough proven candidates to fill them. O'Brien hasn't been a flawless coach by any means, but a coach who's been to the playoffs twice in four seasons will likely be wanted. NFL teams certainly love giving head coaches second chances.
On the other hand, if the Texans' coaching job opens up, it might just be one of the most attractive openings considering the presence of Watson. It's difficult to win in the NFL without a franchise quarterback and the Texans certainly have one. Before Watson tore his ACL, he totaled 21 total touchdowns and eight interceptions in seven games. If Watson can stay healthy, he could develop into one of the league's best quarterbacks. What coach wouldn't want to be the one to oversee his development?
