Report: Texans make Nick Caserio one of the top-3 highest paid general managers in the NFL

The Houston Texans proved how much they wanted the New England Patriots’ Nick Caserio based on how much they paid him.

How badly did the Houston Texans want Nick Caserio? Follow the money.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Texans gave Caserio a six-year contract, and that contract makes the former New England Patriots director of player personnel one of the three highest-paid general managers in the NFL.

The Texans risked tampering charges in 2019 when they pursued Caserio after the firing of Brian Gaine as general manager on June 7, 2019. However, Houston backed off when they saw how serious the Patriots were about keeping one of their front office capos.

“Nick is an incredibly hard worker, disciplined, a man of integrity and high character,” Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement on Thursday. “He has a tremendous amount of experience building a winning franchise and we have faith he will continue his success as a Texan. Nick has an unparalleled reputation around the league amongst his peers. We couldn’t be more excited to name him our new general manager and to welcome his family to Houston.”

The Texans will formally introduce Caserio as general manager in a virtual press conference on Jan. 8.

Texans make it official: Nick Caserio is the new general manager

The Houston Texans have made it official and have announced Nick Caserio as the fifth general manager in franchise history.

The Houston Texans have made it official and announced Nick Caserio as the club’s fifth full time general manager.

“The Houston Texans are an organization committed to excellence. Since the start of our search, we have been steadfast on identifying a general manager that embodies what it means to be a Houston Texan, and it is Nick Caserio,” Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement. “Nick is an incredibly hard worker, disciplined, a man of integrity and high character. He has a tremendous amount of experience building a winning franchise and we have faith he will continue his success as a Texan. Nick has an unparalleled reputation around the league amongst his peers. We couldn’t be more excited to name him our new general manager and to welcome his family to Houston.”

Caserio comes from the New England Patriots where he was the director of player personnel since 2008. Prior to that, Caserio was in the Patriots organization phasing in and out of the ranks of coaching and the personnel department. Overall, Caserio has been with the club since 2001. All of the Patriots’ 20 years of success, from the six Super Bowl wins to 19 consecutive winning seasons, was accomplished with Caserio in New England.

“On behalf of my wife Kathleen and our entire family, I’m very humbled and honored by this opportunity to be the general manager of the Houston Texans,” Caserio said in a statement. “We would like to thank Janice, Cal and Hannah McNair for their belief in us that we can build something special that embraces the accomplishments of the past and accepts the challenges in front of us in our desire to be best. This moment would not be possible without the support and guidance of those that have invested in me personally and professionally. We are forever grateful to the Kraft Family, Bill Belichick as well as the entire New England Patriots organization that has blessed our family in ways we can never repay. Our goal now is to serve the Texans organization and the Houston community by putting together a team that we all can be proud of on and off the field.”

Caserio was a quarterback at John Carroll University and led the Blue Streaks to a 33-7-2 record in the four seasons he started. As a two-time captain and three-time All-Conference performer, he helped John Carroll to a 10-2 record in 1997 and qualify for the program’s second appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Lyndhurst, Ohio, native earned his degree in finance from John Carroll, and earned a master’s of business from Saginaw Valley State. Caserio is married, and his wife, Kathleen, have three daughters, Whitley, Chatham, and Charleston.

Houston Texans general manager tracker

The Houston Texans are searching for their fifth general manager in team history. Follow along with all of the updates here.

The Houston Texans are searching for their fifth full-time general manager in team history. The Texans fired coach and general manager Bill O’Brien on Oct. 5, but didn’t start their general manager search in full until midway through December. Here is who the Texans have met with or targeted thus far:

Louis Riddick — Dec. 16

Matt Bazirgan — Dec. 23

Malik Boyd — Dec. 31

Scott Cohen — Jan. 3

Trent Kirchner — Jan. 4

Nick Caserio — Jan. 4

“All these GM’s and personnel guys, they are evaluating their teams and thinking about next year,” interim coach Romeo Crennel told reporters on Dec. 23. “They have been looking at college guys, and I know that’s a little bit different this year, but they’re there looking at college guys for the draft. So, there’s still a lot going on even though the season is beginning to wind down.”

Report: Texans seek to interview Seahawks VP of player personnel Trent Kirchner

The Houston Texans look to interview Seattle Seahawks vice president of player personnel Trent Kirchner for the general manager vacancy.

The Houston Texans continue their search to find their fifth general manager in franchise history.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans are looking to interview Seattle Seahawks vice president of player personnel Trent Kirchner for their general manager job.

Kirchner got his start with the Seahawks as their assistant director of pro personnel in 2010. The Seahawks seem to have a commitment to Kirchner as they promoted him to his current position at the start of the regular season.

What makes Kirchner an intriguing prospect is he was part of the construction of the Legion of Boom, which produced two Super Bowl appearances in 2013-14, winning one of them spectacularly 43-8 over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. Kirchner has also been a part of an organization that knows how to build around a franchise quarterback.

There has been some sort of accord between the Texans and Seahawks since 2017 when Houston traded left tackle Duane Brown to Seattle. Not only did the Texans deal Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle at the end of preseason in 2019, but Houston also hired Carl Smith, their quarterbacks coach, to be a part of the staff.

Texans president Jamey Rootes: Jack Easterby will not be the next general manager

According to Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes, Jack Easterby will not become the new general manager.

Some Houston sports fans ought to be able to breathe a sigh of relief: Jack Easterby will not be the Texans’ new general manager.

So says team president Jamey Rootes, who was on a Zoom call with season ticket holders Wednesday to promote his new book, “The Winning Game Plan: A Prove Leadership Playbook for Continued Business Success”.

A season ticket holder asked a pointed question immediately during the Q-&-A session to ask for Rootes’ comments on New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick stating Easterby was not a personnel guy.

“You’re right,” Rootes said via the Houston Chronicle. “Jack would be the first person to tell you he’s not a personnel guy. Jack will not be the general manager of the Houston Texans. Jack realizes we need personnel expertise to put together the best football team. He doesn’t have enough time in the day. He’s working on sports science, working on nutrition. Spread the word. Jack has no intentions of being the general manager.”

While NFL fans prefer to have general managers who were once personnel guys, it isn’t a prerequisite to success. Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys general manager Tex Schramm had a background in television, and Ernie Accorsi, who later became the general manager for the Baltimore Colts (1982-83), Cleveland Browns (1985-92), and New York Giants (1998-2006), got his start in the NFL as the public relations director of the Colts from 1970-74.

Given the state of Houston’s NFL team, with the dearth of premium draft picks, dwindling salary cap space, and holes to be filled, along with a coaching vacancy, the Texans could use more than a character coach or any other unconventional general manager in 2021. The Texans have lacked stability since the firing of Brian Gaine as general manager in June 2019 and need to find a way to get back to having a steadiness in the front office.

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Report: Jack Easterby named Texans interim general manager

Houston Texans executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby has been named the interim general manager.

The Houston Texans have named their interim general manager for the rest of the 2020 season.

According to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain, the Texans have settled on the executive vice president of football operations as their interim general manager.

Easterby, who joined the organization in the 2019 offseason, will have the final say on personnel matters and answer to chairman and CEO Cal McNair.

McClain also added that Easterby will return to his role as executive vice president of football operations at the end of the 2020 season, which seems to indicate the club doesn’t have any plans to completely move on from Bill O’Brien’s influence.

Easterby revealed to reporters on July 31 what he is looking for when it comes to personnel acquistion.

“Here’s what I would say, I would say your attitude will be a competitive advantage,” Easterby said. “How we handle testing, how we handle longer days, how we handle not seeing each other as much, not being able to meet face to face. I think our attitude and our outlook on life and outlook on sports and outlook on relationships will be a competitive advantage this year for all sports, all business and for all of life because it’s challenging for everybody.”

Easterby will get a chance to prove his worth to the organization by sitting in the GM’s seat. If the Texans are anemic in the front office, McNair could look for a change all around at the end of the season.