McNair will upgrade quarterback options
Texans owner Bob McNair remains steadfast in his belief the reigning AFC South champions need to exhaust all avenues to land a franchise quarterback, preferably through the NFL draft.
McNair reiterated Thursday after a news conference outside NRG Stadium to unveil a countdown clock to Super Bowl LI in Houston that he wants the team to seek an upgrade at quarterback.
Brian Hoyer, 30, is the incumbent starter and is entering the second year of a two-year, $10.5 million
contract, but he struggled during a 30-0 wild-card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs by committing five turnovers on four interceptions and a lost fumble.
“We need to have reliable play at quarterback,” McNair said. “We don’t need a superstar there, but it needs to be reliable play that won’t take anything away from us.”
The Texans are expected to explore their quarterback options following a season in which they used four quarterbacks, including Hoyer, who had 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions during a regular season in which he suffered two concussions. Hoyer is due a non-guaranteed $4.5 million base salary next season.
There are scenarios in which Hoyer could remain the starter and provide a bridge until a rookie quarterback is ready.
The Texans met with North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz at the Senior Bowl and have made inquiries about Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch. Among the possibilities for the Texans, who hold the 22nd pick of the first round, are Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook and Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg, whose effectiveness took a dip following a successful freshman season under Texans coach Bill O’Brien when O’Brien coached the Nittany Lions.
“There are a number of quarterbacks out there, college quarterbacks coming out, and I think we have a good chance at getting one of them,” McNair said. “There are four or five of them who look like they have enough talent and size and athletic ability. I don’t know any reason why we wouldn’t be able to do it.”
Question in backfield
Meanwhile, four-time Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster, 29, is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon in October after having groin surgery in August. Entering the final year of a five-year, $43.5 million contract, he’s due a non-guaranteed $6.5 million salary and has a $8.825 million salary-cap figure.
Foster is determined to play again and is cleared to jog, but his future with the Texans is uncertain.
“We need to get our running game going again,” McNair said. “We’ll be working on those things.”
The strength of the roster is a defense headlined by defensive end J.J. Watt, named NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the third time after leading the NFL with 17½ sacks, and 29 tackles for losses. Watt is recovering from sports hernia surgery and a broken left hand.
“I think our defense is very strong, and we’ll probably improve that a little bit, too,” McNair said. “But I think we’re in pretty good shape.”
The Texans would love to be more than a bystander for Super Bowl LI. Hosting the game as the AFC champion would be unprecedented.
“It’s never happened that the host city, host team played in the Super Bowl,” McNair said. “So we’d like to break that record. That would be wonderful. That’s always our goal.
“We’ll continue to work hard. We were delighted to see the guys in Denver (former Texans coach Gary Kubiak and former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips) succeed, and you saw they did it with their defense. That’s what we’ve been working towards.”
Houston and NRG Stadium hosted the Super Bowl in 2004, two years after opening a multi-use facility with a retractable roof.
“There are a lot of new stadiums out there and traditionally we let the Super Bowl go to a new stadium, so that takes up a lot of opportunities,” McNair said. “For us to have it for the second time is really important. It’s a tremendous honor.”
NRG aging well
NRG Stadium is having a $6 million Wi-Fi network installed before next season. Other upgrades are planned, including suites and club-level additions, in the range of $50 million.
“The stadium the game was played in last week (Levi’s Stadium) was $1.3 billion,” McNair said. “This stadium was in the range of $400 million. We have the biggest bargain in the NFL. We just have to take care of it.
“It’s more than adequate and people who come here and play like it. I don’t know where the extra billion dollars was spent on these other stadiums, but we got a real bargain here.”