Houston Texans' Bill O'Brien furious at Detroit Lions over failed 2020 NFL draft trade, per report
Bill O'Brien was not a happy camper, and a couple of his old colleagues with the New England Patriots were apparently the reason why.
O'Brien, the Houston Texans coach and general manager, was caught on camera late in the third round of Friday's 2020 NFL draft slamming down his phone in disgust.
O'Brien muttered a few choice words at someone off screen, but the Houston Chronicle reported the real root of O'Brien's anger was the Detroit Lions.
The Lions, according to the Chronicle, backed out of a trade while the Texans were on the clock with the 90th pick of the draft.
Lions general manager Bob Quinn said in a post-draft video conference that he spoke to O'Brien several times Friday but that no deal was ever in place.
"Listen, we talk to a lot of teams," Quinn said. "When we're not on the clock we talk to a bunch of teams and it's not just myself. We've got four or five people that make calls, so I'm not sure what that was about. But we didn't have a trade."
O'Brien worked with Quinn and Lions coach Matt Patricia with the Patriots in 2007-11 and the three consider each other friends. Last year, the Lions even traveled to Houston for three days of joint practices before their preseason game.
The Texans took Florida pass rusher Jonathan Greenard with the 90th selection, after Missouri defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (No. 88) and Mississippi State cornerback Cameron Dantzler (No. 89) came off the board.
NFL DRAFT TRACKER: Round 1 | Rounds 2-3
NFL DRAFT: Team-by-team look at every selection
The Lions made three selections on Day 2 of the draft Friday: Georgia running back D'Andre Swift, Notre Dame linebacker Julian Okwara and Ohio State guard Jonah Jackson.
The Lions have one pick remaining in each of Saturday's final four rounds, including No. 109 early in the fourth round.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Read more on the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.
If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders. Do the right thing, sign up now!