Texans Will Sign Kubiak as Head Coach

About an hour after Denver lost the AFC Championship Game, Houston owner Bob McNair announced that the Texans will hire Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.

It will be a busy week for Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.

Denver's loss to the Steelers on Sunday frees Kubiak up to begin contract negotiations with Houston owner Bob McNair. Kubiak is expected to join the Texans this week.

One of six candidates for the position, Kubiak certainly had an inside edge thanks to his relationship with former Broncos head coach Dan Reeves, who is now working with the Texans as a consultant to McNair. Kubiak was the backup quarterback to John Elway while Reeves was the head coach in Denver.

Kubiak has never been a head coach at any level, and inherits the team with the worst record in the NFL. And as a result, he'll be part of selecting the #1 pick in the NFL draft -- or the decision to trade it away for the right package.

The Texans were prohibited from entering into any contract negotiations while Kubiak was still coaching for Denver. But now McNair expects the process will move quickly.

"Hopefully we'll have him down here by the middle of the week and he will then be assembling a staff," McNair said.

Houston is badly in need of offensive direction, and Kubiak will more than a decade of leadership experience as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. A Houston native, Kubiak was also interviewed for the Texans head coaching spot back in 2001 as the new franchise was being formed.