Tag: Texans general manager

Texans GM Nick Caserio says Deshaun Watson ‘is our quarterback’

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio says he is enthused to work with three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Deshaun Watson may be disgruntled, and the organization may not have heard from him since hiring a new general manager, but Nick Caserio remains undeterred.

The Houston Texans’ new general manager told reporters during a virtual press conference Friday that Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler, is their quarterback.

“We’re starting from scratch,” Caserio said. “I think the most important thing for us is just to speak specifically to Deshaun. I’d say from afar the respect and administration that I have for him as a player and what he’s done for this organization is significant. He’s our quarterback.”

The former New England Patriots director of player personnel explained that Watson was a “big part of the reason” why the AFC East club sustained losses against the Texans in 2019 and 2020.

What Caserio stressed is taking time for the players and organization to come together and have discussions.

“I think it’s important for all of us to take some time, and I think when the time is appropriate, we’ll have discussions with the players,” said Caserio. “I think it’s important for us, whatever conversations that we’re going to have with players about their individual situation, that we do it directly and we do it face to face. When the appropriate time comes, we’ll sit and spend some time with Deshaun. But certainly looking forward to the opportunity to work with him.”

Caserio would not address the rumors that Watson could ask for a trade, only stating, “He’s our quarterback, and again, once we have an opportunity, spend some time together, we’ll have further discussions.”

The 45-year-old’s first order of business may be to get his franchise quarterback on-board with his vision of the team moving forward. If nothing else, it will make the transition from the Bill O’Brien era to the new one all the smoother.

4 takeaways from Texans GM Nick Caserio’s press conference

The Houston Texans introduced Nick Caserio as their general manager. Here are four takeaways from the presser.

The Houston Texans held a virtual press conference to introduce their fifth general manager in club history, Nick Caserio.

The former New England Patriots director of player personnel was introduced by Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair, who was enthused about getting their guy.

Here are four takeaways from the press conference.

Report: Texans QB Deshaun Watson unhappy with organization over lack of feedback on GM, coach hiring process

QB Deshaun Watson is allegedly unhappy with the Houston Texans after not being asked for feedback in the general manager and coach hiring process.

Houston sports fans can always rely on the Texans to bring the drama in January.

This year, it isn’t surrounding a playoff run. Instead, drama swirls around NRG Stadium as quarterback Deshaun Watson is allegedly unhappy about the recent moves the club has made in its front office hiring process.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Watson has not spoken to the Texans in a few days, even though they have tried to call him.

Rapoport tweeted on Thursday night that the chief reason Watson is disgruntled allegedly is because chairman and CEO Cal McNair said Watson would be involved in the general manager and coach hiring process, providing feedback. The report says the club hasn’t, and then hired Nick Caserio from the New England Patriots.

On Nov. 4, 2020, Watson said he wanted to be a part of the Texans’ team-building process. On Nov. 22, 2020, McNair asked for Watson’s input on the coach hiring process, according to ESPN.

Nick Caserio would be making a career-ending mistake to trade Texans QB Deshaun Watson

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio would be making a colossal mistake if he traded quarterback Deshaun Watson.

In addition to Deshaun Watson’s cryptic tweets signaling the offseason has begun, another time-honored tradition are rumors that the three-time quarterback will be traded.

No need to link to that bosh; just go to your favorite search engine and type “Deshaun Watson trade.”

Do you know hard it is to acquire a franchise quarterback? Ask the Chicago Bears. They’re still looking for theirs since Sid Luckman. Maybe they would have had one in the 1980s if Charles Martin hadn’t body-slammed Jim McMahon and sent him on a road of injury misery that marred his career.

Speaking of Bears quarterbacks, ever wonder how Jay Cutler ended up in Chicago? In 2009, when another Bill Belichick acolyte named Josh McDaniels was hired by the Denver Broncos, he actively tried to acquire New England Patriots backup quarterback Matt Cassel, who McDaniels had worked with and led to an 11-5 record the year before when Tom Brady tore his ACL in Week 1. McDaniels ran off a starting quarterback because it wasn’t “his guy” and ended up getting fired midway through is second season.

Do you think new Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio didn’t pay attention to his former colleague’s big blunder with the Broncos?

Caserio was with the Patriots going back to 2001. In addition to seeing what stability under center can do for a franchise, he has also seen the abject failure franchises go through constantly evaluating the quarterback position. The New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills were all dumpster fires at quarterback with first-round busts, failed free agents, and undrafted hopium at quarterback — all en route to losing seasons and making New England’s path to the postseason all the less difficult.

How about the most recent season the Patriots endured? Brady goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New England has to choose between Jarrett Stidham and Cam Newton — a situation akin to what their division rivals had to endure since 2000. The results were evident as the Patriots finished 7-9, their first losing record since Bill Belichick took over in 2000.

Caserio has to find a new coach and execute a soft rebuild. That doesn’t sound so bad compared to the Jacksonville Jaguars, for example, who have to hire a new coach, initiate a total rebuild, and find a new quarterback. Houston, Indianapolis, and Tennessee may be getting easy wins for the next couple years.

Trading Watson would be that catalyst to hurl Houston into a state they have no reason to be in. Why would Caserio get rid of a franchise quarterback hoping to get something better?

Watson earned his third Pro Bowl, set the Texans’ franchise record for single-season passing yards and touchdowns, and also won the league passing title — all the while the rest of the team failed to produce around him. Just give Watson a team, and he can be the catalyst to get the club back into playoff contention.

If Caserio traded Watson, Houston would be in a rebuild that they probably could never come out of and be reminiscent of the pre-playoff seasons — 6-10 finishes, perpetually third in the division, “maybe next year” as the Texans are nothing more than filler between the Houston Astros and Houston Rockets.

No one would give Caserio another shot after that. He could go back to New England, like McDaniels did after his colossal failure in Denver and one-year stint as the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator. Aside from the Colts getting jilted in 2018, no one else has given McDaniels a chance.

Caserio has more to gain working with Watson than working to get rid of him.

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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.

Texans QB Deshaun Watson tweets ‘some things never change’ after hiring Nick Caserio

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was perturbed about something on Twitter late Tuesday evening, and Houston sports fans are suspicious.

The offseason hasn’t officially started until Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson posts a cryptic tweet.

On Tuesday evening at 10:59 p.m. CT, almost an hour and 15 minutes after reports confirmed that the Texans were hiring New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio as general manager, Watson tweeted that, “some things never change” followed by an attempt at ellipses.

Maybe Watson could have been tweeting about the Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs between Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challengers John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. After all, Watson is from Georgia and still has family in the Peach State.

It is unlikely; it is more plausible that Watson was tweeting about the Caserio hire.

Quincy Avery, Watson’s personal quarterback skills coach, quote-tweeted Watson and provided an arrow hitting the target for an emoji.

Texans fans saw smoke surrounding Watson’s tweets, but couldn’t exactly spot the fire. Nonetheless, the hashtag #FireJackEasterby started trending on Twitter.

If Watson is insinuating anything about the Caserio hire, it is an inauspicious start to what was supposed to be a new dawn in Houston after the firing of Bill O’Brien.

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Texans hire Patriots’ Nick Caserio as new general manager

The Houston Texans have hired New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio to be their new general manager.

The Houston Texans have their man.

It only took a year and a half, but the Texans were finally able to pry away Nick Caserio away from the New England Patriots and hire him as their new general manager.

The former Patriots director of player personnel was the target of the Texans’ general manager search after they fired Brian Gaine on June 7, 2019. The Patriots blocked the move by the Texans to poach Caserio, even going to the point of filing tampering charges against Houston.

In January 2020, instead of hiring Caserio, the club doubled up coach Bill O’Brien as the team’s general manager. The position came open upon O’Brien’s firing on Oct. 5, 2020.

The 45-year-old is part of the “Patriots South” movement within the Texans organization that started when the club hired O’Brien in 2014. After hiring numerous former Patriots players and assistant coaches to be on O’Brien’s staff, the final touch was hiring Jack Easterby as the executive vice president of team development. Easterby had previously worked with the Patriots as their team development/character coach from 2013-18.

Caserio has been around all but one year of the Bill Belichick era in New England. After stints at Saginaw Valley State (1999-2000) and Central Michigan (2001) as a graduate assistant, Caserio came to New England in 2001 as a personnel assistant. In 2002, he dabbled into coaching as an offensive coaching assistant. The next year, Caserio was an area scout for the club before being the director of pro personnel from 2004-06. The following season was Caserio’s final season as a coach with the Patriots, working as a receivers coach in New England’s 16-0 season. Since 2008, Caserio has been the club’s director of player personnel.

With the Texans still committed to the Patriot Way at NRG Stadium, the club may turn its attention to hiring a former New England assistant coach, such as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll.

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Report: Patriots’ Nick Caserio interview with Texans ‘has real promise’

The Houston Texans are set to interview the New England Patriots’ Nick Caserio, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the interview “has real promise.”

The Houston Texans may continue their trend as “Patriots South” even after the firing of Bill O’Brien as coach and general manager on Oct. 5, 2020.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio is in Houston and set to have an interview for the general manager job. According to Schefter and Mortensen’s source, the interview “has real promise.”

The Texans have been targeting Caserio since 2019 shortly after they hired Jack Easterby as a character coach in April of that year. When the Texans fired then-general manager Brian Gaine on June 7, they went after Caserio, and the Patriots blocked the move.

According to Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair, Easterby, who is the interim general manager, will revert back to football operations after the hiring of a new general manager. If Caserio comes to Houston, it may mean Easterby’s job with the Texans is safe.

Texans interview Steelers front office executive Omar Khan for general manager

The Houston Texans have interviewed Pittsburgh Steelers vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan for the general manager job.

The Houston Texans continue their due diligence in finding their fifth general manager in franchise history.

The team announced Monday evening they have completed an interview with Omar Khan, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ vice president of football and business administration.

Khan has been a member of the Steelers organization since 2001 when he took the job as football administration coordinator. In 2011, he was promoted to director of football administration. In 2016, Khan took over in his current capacity.

Prior to joining the Steelers, Khan was with the New Orleans Saints from 1997-2001 he worked in the football operations department with Mickey Loomis as director of football administration from 2000-01.

The success Khan has been around with the Steelers is hard to argue with: two Super Bowl wins, three Super Bowl appearances, six AFC Championship Game appearances, 10 AFC North titles, and 13 playoff appearances. If the Texans can capture just a portion of that success, one good run with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, it would be worth putting Khan in as general manager.

Khan is from New Orleans having graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School in nearby Metarie, Louisiana. He also graduated from Tulane with a degree in sports management.