In 2007 O’Brien joined the NFL’s New England Patriots where he would be an assistant, wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator. In 2012 he took over for Joe Paterno as head coach at Penn State. O’Brien became head coach of the Houston Texans in 2014. In 2012 he received the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award, Big Ten Coach of the Year, Maxwell Coach of the Year, and AT&T-ESPN Coach of the Year.