Caserio’s first task will be coaching search
The Texans on Wednesday officially signed new general manager Nick Caserio to a six-year contract that averages at least $6 million annually, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
The former New England Patriots director of player of personnel reached an agreement in principle Tuesday night.
Caserio, 45, has worked for the Patriots since 2001, operating in a versatile role that includes dealing with free agency, the draft, salarycap negotiations and analytics and working with the coaching staff and players on the practice field.
A former record-setting quarterback and three-time all-conference selection at John Carroll University, Caserio was college teammates with retired four-time Pro Bowl linebacker London Fletcher, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and future Patriots executive Dave Ziegler, among several other NFL staffers.
“Nobody is going to outwork Nick. I think he’s going to be great,” Fletcher said in a telephone interview Wednesday. “They’re going to hire a coach with a vision that aligns with his, and he’s going to hire the right coach. He’s going to match the players with the coach’s vision from a performance and character standpoint.
“The vision is going to be carried out. He will set the agenda. The scouts will carry out that agenda. There won’t be any gray areas in what a Houston Texans player will look like. Itwill be black and white and very clear.”
Caserio, 45, operated as Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s righthand man for the past two decades. He’s good friends with Texans executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby, a former Patriots character coach who worked with Caserio for six years in New England. Easterby operated as the Texans’ interim general manager after coach/GM Bill O’Brien was fired in October following an 0-4 start.
Originally hired by the Patriots to be an offensive coaching assistant, Caserio worked as a wide receivers coach before shifting to the personnel side. He worked as a personnel assistant and area scout before being promoted to director of pro personnel in 2004 and then his current title in 2008.
“He has a vast amount of experience and talent in a number of different areas,” Belichick said in 2019. “He does a great job in all those areas and has been extremely valuable to me on so many levels for such a long time.”
Now that Caserio has been signed to a contract, the Texans’ next step is to hire a head coach.
The Texans are expected to have interest in Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, a former Patriots assistant coach and the architect of an explosive Buffalo offense headlined by quarterback Josh Allen, according to league sources, but have yet to submit an interview request. The Chargers and Jets already have requested interviews with Daboll.
The Texans have submitted interview requests for Colts defensive coordinator Matt E ber flu sand Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, according to NFL sources. They already have interviewed Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, and former Lions and Colts coach Jim Caldwell.
The Texans haven’t submitted an interview request for Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and are the only NFL team with a head coaching vacancy that hasn’t, according to sources. The Tex ans haven’ t submitted an interview request for 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, a former Texans assistant.
Eberflus has interviews scheduled with the Texans, Jets and Chargers. The Colts play the Bills in an AFC wild-card playoff game Saturday. A former Cowboys and Browns linebackers coach, Eberflus, 50, previously interviewed with Cleveland in 2018.
“They put everything through (Colts general manager) Chris Ballard,” Eberflus told Indianapolis reporters Wednesday. “There’s been very minimal communication about that, not per se in a bad way. When ball starts, that’s all you’ve got. There’s only so many minutes in the day, and our focus is all on Buffalo.”
Aformer Toledo linebacker and Missouri defensive coordinator, Eberflus has impressed Texans quarterback DeshaunWatson and other NFL personnel with his schemes.
“He would be a great head coach,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “I’m happy for him and any opportunity he gets. I would fully endorse and support anyone who ever called and asked me about Flus as aman, as a leader and as a coach. He is a worthy candidate. I don’t want to lose him, obviously, but I’m happy for him.”