In the short term, O’Brien went from the offensive coordinator post at Duke to a quality control assistant with the New England Patriots. It was a drastic slash in salary and rank. But it served as a springboard to where he is now.
“I called Colleen and said ‘We’re going to take about a $150,000 pay cut here, and we’re going to go to New England,’” O’Brien said of that conversation with his wife. “I heard the phone drop. Like, ‘You idiot!’”
The Texans head coach steadily moved up the coaching ranks throughout the 1990’s and early part of the 2000’s.