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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