AP

Wade Phillips was hoping he’d be the one making staffing calls in Houston.

But after the Texans hired Bill O’Brien as head coach, the veteran coach said he’d be willing to stay on as defensive coordinator, but didn’t know if O’Brien was interested in that.

Phillips served as interim head coach after Gary Kubiak was fired, and interviewed for the job last Thursday. He admitted disappointment to Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle, saying he wasn’t sure if he’d have a role on O’Brien’s staff or not, after getting the news from General Manager Rick Smith.

“We’re all supposed to come in next week and see what our status is,” Phillips said. “I don’t know what their feeling is, not knowing the guy. Usually when somebody gets a job and you don’t know anything, you’re probably not involved. But I don’t know that for a fact.”

O’Brien is expected to bring receivers coach Stan Hixson with him from Penn State, but no other staff decisions are known.

“I think they felt [O’Brien] was best for their football team and I can deal with that,” he said. “I trust ownership and they made the decision they made. They felt they did what’s best for their football team and I can deal with that. I told them I appreciated them letting me know.”

The 66-year-old Phillips has a year left on his contract, and said he was not thinking about retiring. His track record of success as a coordinator should guarantee he lands on his feet, in Houston or elsewhere.