D4 IS KEY TO IT ALL
Nick Caserio’s repair list for Texans starts with Deshaun Watson.
The Texans’ pursuit of Nick Caserio dates back to January of 2018 when their late owner, Bob McNair, was in the market for a new general manager to replace Rick Smith.
As he did when he hired Bill O’Brien as the Texans’ head coach in 2014, McNair used the Korn Ferry consulting firm as part of his search committee that included Cal McNair, team president Jamey Rootes and vice president of administration Chris Olsen.
According to those involved in that search, Caserio was at the top of the list of recommendations, and Bob McNair was excited about interviewing him to take over for Smith.
O’Brien, who worked with Caserio during his five seasons with New England (2007-11), also highly recommended the Patriots’ director of player personnel. They were friends from their Patriot days, including one season in which Caserio left personnel to coach wide receivers.
Bob McNair asked O’Brien to call New England coach Bill Belichick to get permission to interview Caserio. Belichick — as he did a year later — declined.
After being rebuffed by Belichick, the Texans interviewed other candidates before settling on their former director of player personnel, Brian Gaine. He left Buffalo’s personnel department to become the third general manager in Texans’ history after Charley Casserly and Smith.
Bob McNair gave Gaine a fiveyear contract, extended O’Brien’s contract and gave Olsen an extension and a new title, senior vice president of football operation.
Seventeen months later, the Texans were in the market for another general manager. Bob McNair had died in November of 2018 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Cal McNair didn’t like the direction the Texans were headed and fired Gaine in June of
2019.
O’Brien had control of personnel in 2019. Jack Easterby, hired from New England in April of
2019 as executive vice president of team development, became O’Brien’s right-hand man.
Easterby, who had spent the previous six years with New England, developed a close relationship with O’Brien, as he had done with Caserio in their six years together with the Patriots.
After Gaine was fired, the Texans asked the Patriots for permission to interview Caserio. The Patriots filed tampering charges with the NFL, accusing Easterby of tampering with Caserio during a Super Bowl celebration at owner Robert Kraft’s home.
Caserio had a clause in his contract that prevented him from interviewing for other jobs. When the Texans backed off, the Patriots withdrew the tampering charge.
After the 2019 season that ended with a 10-6 record, an AFC South title and a wild-card victory over Buffalo, McNair gave O’Brien the general manager title, expanded Easterby’s role in the organization and promoted him to executive vice president of football operations.
The unraveling of the Texans that would lead to hiring a fifth general manager began in March of 2020 when O’Brien traded DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona. When the Texans started 0-4, O’Brien was fired as head coach and general manager and replaced by Romeo Crennel and Easterby on an interim basis.
McNair started to think about hiring Caserio a third time, according to two people close to the owner. When the NFL changed a rule in May allowing front office executives under contract to interview for other jobs that would give them more responsibility — like control of personnel — Easterby stumped for Caserio again.
Caserio played a key role in the Patriots’ personnel and coaching departments, but Belichick always had final say on any decision. Caserio was looking for a GM job that would give him that responsibility for the first time.
The search firm that McNair headed included Rootes and
Korn Ferry’s Jed Hughes. McNair added a five-man advisory group to aid in the process.
The Texans interviewed four candidates and had two more in their sights. When Caserio started lining up interviews, McNair didn’t want to take a chance that he’d get another job before the Texans had a chance to interview him.
McNair and Easterby left Houston on Monday morning. They flew to Bedford, Mass., to pick up Caserio and bring him back to Houston for an official interview.
McNair and Easterby kept their trip secret because they didn’t want another team to hear about their pursuit of Caserio and expedite the interview process in a stepped-up effort to hire Caserio.
On the flight back to Houston, McNair was finally able to talk with Caserio for the first time. He was impressed with the longtime New England personnel director who had made nine Super Bowl appearances and earned six rings. But something else stood out to McNair during the 3½-hour trip: Caserio’s devotion to his family and his religion.
Tuesday morning, Caserio had his official interview lasting three hours. By that time, McNair was certain he had found his next general manager. He didn’t want to do any more interviews.
Late Tuesday afternoon, McNair and Suzie Thomas, the Texans’ executive vice president and chief legal and administrative officer, started contract negotiations with agent Bob Lamonte, who also reps Easterby.
That night, Caserio reached an agreement on a six-year, $30 million contract and signed it the next day. The Texans were going to introduce Caserio as their new general manager on Wednesday, but the events in Washington, D.C., caused them to delay the announcement for a day.
Friday, Caserio met with the media for the first time on a
Zoom conference call. He was articulate, intelligent, humble and insightful, making a strong first impression.
Now the hard part starts. Caserio has to revitalize a team that finished 4-12, has an unhappy quarterback in Deshaun Watson, a salary cap problem and no draft choices in the first two rounds.
With a six-year contract, Caserio will have plenty of time to prove to McNair the third time was a charm.