Bill O'Brien served as the head coach of the Houston Texans for six seasons, leading them to four playoff appearances. He was then appointed the Texans general manager, but after starting the 2020 season 0-4, O'Brien was let go from the organization.
In an appearance on the "Next Up With Adam Breneman" podcast, O'Brien reflected on his time in Houston, saying he regretted taking on the general manager responsibility.
"I didn’t really enjoy being the GM...I didn’t enjoy negotiating contracts. In some respects, I lost relationships with some of the guys that I was coaching...In the end, that was a mistake by me. I wish I really didn't do that to be really honest with you."
However, O'Brien made a point to say "it wasn't like it was all terrible" when evaluating his tenure with the Texans.
"We made some controversial decisions, but you know, we made some good decisions to," O'Brien said, referencing a trade with the Miami Dolphins that brought offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills to Houston, along with a 2020 fourth-round pick and a 2021 sixth-round pick, but dealt away a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round pick, a 2021 second-round pick, cornerback Johnson Bademosi and offensive tackle Julien Davenport.
O'Brien did not mention the March 2020 trade that sent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round pick.
With these comments, was O'Brien attempting to rewrite history and downplay the negative effects his decision-making as general manager had on the Texans organization?
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