Penn State lowered O'Brien's NFL buyout
Penn State lowered the buyout cost NFL teams would have to pay the school to hire coach Bill O'Brien away from the Nittany Lions, and there have been talks of reducing the fee even more, according to ESPN.
Reducing the buyout makes it easier for O'Brien to leave Penn State for the NFL.
Last summer, Penn State changed the NFL buyout amount in his contract from $19.33 million last year to $6.48 million for this year. If O'Brien leaves for another college, the school hiring him would have to pay Penn State $11.08 million.
A Penn State official said O'Brien's representatives recently asked the school to reduce the NFL buyout even more, according to a source. It is not clear why Penn State is willing to make it easier for O'Brien to leave.
Last year, O'Brien drew interest from several NFL teams seeking a head coach, including the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers.
O'Brien is expected to be a candidate again this offseason, including for the Houston Texans' vacancy.
