The Texans hired Nick Caserio as the fourth general manager in the team’s history.
The Texans agreed to Caserio’s contract with agent Bob Lamonte on Tuesday night, after interviewing him in Houston during the day.
It is a decision that will receive universal praise in the NFL, because Caserio is a highly respected man. It will be difficult to sell in Houston because Caserio knows only one way – the Patriot Way.
Fans and media will match Caserio to Bill O’Brien, who spent five years with the Patriots and was sacked after a 0-4 start in October in his seventh season as a Texas coach.
Caserio, 45, has been in New England for 20 years, including the last 13 as a team player director working for coach Bill Belichick. He follows Charley Casserly, Rick Smith and O’Brien as general managers in Texas.
On Monday, owner Cal McNair and executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby flew to New England to pick up Caserio and bring him back to Houston for the interview.
Caserio and Easterby are friends who worked together for six years with the Patriots. Easterby left New England for Texans in 2019.
Under NFL rules, candidates who work for teams outside the playoffs can interview in person or on Zoom conference calls.
Now that it is official, Texans have a new general manager with experience in personnel and coaching. Now that he has been hired, Caserio will join McNair in the search for a new coach.
This is the second time McNair has chased Caserio. After firing Brian Gaine in June 2019, McNair tried to interview Caserio as his replacement. The Patriots filed charges of tampering and McNair withdrew his request.
Caserio, who joined the Patriots in 2001 as a personal assistant, ended up impressing Belichick enough to become his right hand in personnel decisions.
Belichick has the final say in personnel decisions in New England. This is the first time that Caserio will have that responsibility.
Caserio also worked as a technical assistant for Belichick before returning to the personnel department and being promoted to his current position in 2008.
This will be the first time that Caserio will be involved in a coaching search. McNair and the search committee interviewed Jim Caldwell, Marvin Lewis and Carolina’s offensive coordinator, Joe Brady.
When Tennessee and Indianapolis are eliminated from the playoffs, they will interview Titans’ offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, and Colts defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus.
Texans could also target Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
Daboll won five Super Bowl rings as a New England assistant coach and knows Caserio well. Daboll, 45, joined the Patriots in 2000, a year before Caserio’s arrival.
New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is not a candidate to become the new Texan coach.
As soon as Caserio starts his new job, fans and the media will want to see if he tries to make Patriot Way the Houston Way.
This is a chance for Caserio to get out from under Belichick’s umbrella and set his own path.