Easterby? It’s a name you should learn about
If you have followed the firing of general manager Brian Gaine and the Texans’ pursuit of New England director of player personnel Nick Caserio as his replacement, you must have read and heard of Jack Easterby, the team’s executive vice president of team development since April 2.
Expect to hear more about Easterby as his influence continues to grow within the organization since he was hired by Gaine and coach Bill O’Brien after working six years in the Patriots’ front office and earning three Super Bowl rings.
At this point, you may be wondering who Jack Easterby is, and how has he gained so much clout in less than 2½ months on the job.
Easterby, 36, has earned enough respect and trust to be part of the interview process with O’Brien, chairman Cal McNair, president Jamey Rootes and senior vice president of football administration Chris Olsen.
Easterby, a native of Columbia S.C. who played basketball and golf at Newberry College, has developed a good working relationship with O’Brien and is playing a larger role in team operations.
Those who know Easterby say he’s an outgoing, energetic, intelligent jack-of-all-trades for front-office executives. He’s guided by a strong Christian faith. He’s all about building and maintaining positive relationships on and off the field.
A former team chaplain at Kansas City (2011-12) and life coach/character coach at New England (2013-18) under coach Bill Belichick, Easterby is a counselor and adviser to players, coaches and their families. He’s on call 24-7.
As a former athlete in college, Easterby likes to participate in drills before practice. He likes to throw passes and run routes as part of the time he spends with players.
O’Brien left the Patriots before Easterby was hired in 2013. But like O’Brien, Easterby is close friends with Caserio from their years of working together at New England under Belichick.
If the Texans are able to hire Caserio when other teams have tried and failed, including the Texans last year, it’ll be a coup in which Easterby played a significant role. Caserio is of the most highly respected executives in the NFL.
Albert Breer, who writes the Monday Morning Quarterback
column for SI.com, included Easterby in this week’s story on Gaine’s firing.
Writing about Easterby’s role with the Patriots, Breer said, “He touched a little bit of everything on the football side of the franchise and, just as important, graded it all for Bill Belichick. As one ex-co-worker there described him, ‘He’s smart … has really good perspective on a lot of things, and is an incredible resource for the head coach.’”
Easterby left the Patriots in February after owner Robert Kraft was charged with solicitation in Florida. The Boston Globe, quoting team sources, said, “Easterby felt his time with the team had run its course, and the Kraft situation does not sit well with him.”
Breer wrote Monday the Texans “outbid the Panthers and Dolphins, among others, for (Easterby’s) services.”
Easterby got his first job in the NFL with Jacksonville in 2005, where he spent one season as the assistant director of football operations.
In 2006, Easterby went to the University of South Carolina. He worked with and consulted for NBA teams and USA Basketball while employed by the Gamecocks.
Easterby got the attention of Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli in 2011. Pioli, who spent nine years with Belichick at New England, the last seven as vice president of player personnel, hired Easterby as the Chiefs’ team chaplain.
At Kansas City, Easterby worked closely with head coach Romeo Crennel, who has been the Texans’ defensive coordinator in five of his six seasons under O’Brien.
Easterby earned a lot of respect in Kansas City and in NFL circles with the way he helped the Chiefs in the aftermath of the murder-suicide of Jovan Belcher, who shot his girlfriend before killing himself.
In 2013, Belichick hired Easterby to help the Patriots deal with the Aaron Hernandez crisis. As his influence spread throughout the organization, Easterby did more than counsel players and conduct Bible studies.
At practice, Easterby took part in warmups. Belichick trusted him enough to have him participate in personnel evaluations. During his time with the Patriots, Easterby helped them navigate crisis situations and build a positive team attitude that helped them reach four Super Bowls while he was in New England.
In a 2015 story on the Patriots, ESPN the Magazine said, Easterby “hosts Bible study, works coaches' hours in his office counseling players and their wives, throws passes in practice and sometimes even jumps in on scout-team drills.
“When he's not listening, he's texting. When he's not texting, he's writing players and coaches individual notes, recapping their personal goals and reminding them of how thankful he is to know them. He prefers to be called a character coach, not a chaplain, because he doesn't push religion on anyone.”
During Super Bowl week when the Patriots were preparing to defeat the Los Angeles Rams to win a sixth Lombardi Trophy, veteran Matthew Slater said about Easterby, “I honestly don’t think we’re where we are, sitting here today, without his influence on the team.”
When he left the Patriots in February after his contract ran out, NBC Sports Boston said, “There’s no doubt his experience makes him a valuable addition to any coaching staff.”
And now Easterby is working for the Texans and impacting the search to find the fourth general manager in franchise history.