Next Houston Texans coach odds: Would Clemson's Dabo Swinney be interested in Deshaun Watson reunion?

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney compared his former quarterback, Deshaun Watson, to Michael Jordan ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft. Would Swinney be interested in reuniting with the player who helped win Swinney his first national championship with the Tigers? The Houston Texans' head coaching job is open following the firing of Bill O'Brien on Monday, and the Texans have an in with Swinney: Executive vice president Jack Easterby, who now has all the power in the front office with O'Brien gone, is "close" with Swinney. SportsLine has released early NFL futures odds on the next Texans' full-time head coach.

There also have been rumors that Swinney could head to the NFL next season and join his current quarterback, presumed No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, wherever he lands. But does Swinney want to land in the mess that is the New York Jets? New York Giants? Perhaps the Jacksonville Jaguars would make the most sense, and there have been rumors, considering Swinney is from the southeast and the Jags also could be in position to land Lawrence.

The Houston job frankly isn't all that great other than Watson because the team doesn't own its first- or second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft due to terrible trades made by O'Brien. Houston also has several bad contracts and already projects to be well over the 2021 salary cap per spotrac.com. Currently, the Texans are spending more than $250 million on the 2020 roster, which is the highest in the NFL.

Easterby, a former Patriots chaplain, also reportedly is close with current Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is an annual head coaching candidate but seems averse to leaving Bill Belichick's side for whatever reason. Many believe that Patriots owner Robert Kraft has a wink-wink agreement with McDaniels that he will take over whenever Belichick retires. When McDaniels took the Colts' coaching job a couple of years ago before backing out at the last minute, he was going to take Easterby with him for a front-office role.  

Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy got a few interviews last offseason – he could have taken the coaching job at his alma mater Colorado – and is all but a lock to get a gig this winter. Other offensive coordinators who are highly regarded are Buffalo's Brian Daboll due to his work with QB Josh Allen and Baltimore's Greg Roman thanks to his work with Lamar Jackson. The stock of Tampa OC Bryon Leftwich is also on the rise, and he played QB in the league.

O'Brien was an offensive guy so if the Texans want to flip the script and think defense in their next head coach, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh figures to be in demand. Ditto the Colts' Matt Eberflus and Ravens' Don "Wink" Martindale.

If the Texans can't lure Swinney from college, how about Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley? Perhaps he will be ready to leave with the Sooners likely to miss the College Football Playoff this year with already two Big 12 losses. Michigan's Jim Harbaugh will be mentioned, but if he were to leave that gig why not just go up the road and replace Matt Patricia with the Lions? If Oklahoma State wins the Big 12, Coach Mike Gundy could opt to try the NFL with his stock at an all-time high (and where your political leans don't matter nearly as much).

Romeo Crennel will be Houston's interim coach the rest of the way, but at age 73 isn't a realistic long-term option. The Texans are +6 this Sunday at home vs. Jacksonville. 

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Who will be the Houston Texans' head coach for Week 1 of the 2021 season?

• Josh McDaniels +300
• Eric Bieniemy +350
• Brian Daboll +500
• Greg Roman +600
• Byron Leftwich +800
• Robert Saleh +1000
• Dabo Swinney +1200
• Matt Eberflus +1500
• Don Martindale +1800
• Lincoln Riley +2000
• Mike Gundy +2500
• Jim Harbaugh +3000

Who wins every NFL game this week? And which teams cover more than 50 percent of the time? Get picks here from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch three of the past four years on straight-up NFL picks.