Report: Bill O'Brien Firing Could Be 'Imminent' Amid Texans' Struggles

Sunday's 45-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars dropped the Houston Texans to 4-10 in 2017, and their poor season could culminate in the departure of head coach Bill O'Brien.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported Sunday that O'Brien's exit could be "imminent," citing a rift between O'Brien and Texans general manager Rick Smith. O'Brien has one more season left on his contract with Houston.

O'Brien affirmed his desire to return in 2018 on Monday, per ESPN.com's Sarah Barshop:

"I signed a five-year contract. I expect to be back here, but those decisions are not made by me. My job is to make sure that I coach these players. I really care about these players. I really care about how hard they're working and the effort that they're putting in. And we're not seeing the results on the field, so I really want to try to improve that over the next three weeks."

Few would blame O'Brien for the Texans' record. Both Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt both suffered season-ending injuries, which torpedoed Houston's playoff hopes.

O'Brien did, however, receive justifiable criticism regarding how the Texans handled a concussion suffered by Tom Savage in the team's Week 14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. La Canfora wrote the situation "only heightened the talk around the league of change in Houston."

Savage was evaluated and returned to the game after briefly shaking on the ground following a hit by 49ers defensive end Elvis Dumervil. Upon a second evaluation, Savage headed for the locker room, and the Texans confirmed he suffered a concussion.

O'Brien told reporters after the game he initially didn't see the video of Savage lying on the field and wouldn't have allowed Savage to return if he was aware of how badly Savage was injured.

O'Brien's work with the Texans would ensure he'd be employed quickly were he to leave Houston. The team reached the playoffs in 2015 and 2016 despite Brian Hoyer and Brock Osweiler finishing as the leading passer in each season.

Watson was also off to a great start in his first season, throwing for 1,699 yards and 19 touchdowns in seven appearances. He showed his support for O'Brien on Twitter earlier this week:

While O'Brien would have no shortage of suitors on the coaching market, the Texans would almost certainly have a number of possible candidates to replace him.

Despite the absence of Watt, Houston ranked 18th in defensive efficiency entering Sunday, per Football Outsiders. That's not too bad considering the Texans are without one of the best defensive players in the league. 

In addition, an offense with a healthy Watson in 2018, as well as Lamar Miller and DeAndre Hopkins, will also be very attractive for prospective coaches.