Nick Caserio interviewed today for the Panthers and Texans GM jobs, but he traveled to Houston for the Texans meeting. And the longtime Patriots manager may be ready to take a big leap.
The Texans are expected to hire Caserio as their next general manager, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). While nothing has been finalized, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora notes (on Twitter) the chance that Caserio will be back in New England next season can be classified as ‘small to zero’. Caserio’s Houston interview has “real promise,” report Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
This move is underway, with Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero from NFL.com tweeting the Texans are indeed focused on Caserio. His departure will leave Dave Ziegler such as Bill Belichicktop lieutenant, though the Broncos – who gave Ziegler his NFL start – have asked for a GM interview. The Pats lost Ossenfort Mountains to the Titans last year.
Caserio, of course, has an extensive history with the Texans. The team wanted to hire him in 2019, but his unusual Patriots contract forbade such a move. However, he then resurfaced on the Texans’ radar Bill O’Brienit’s firing in the early season. Caserio partnered with the current executive VP of Texans Jack Easterby in New England and remains close to the former Patriots executive. Easterby is believed to have a lot of influence on the Texans’ direction with this rental.
Now 45, Caserio has been with the Patriots for 20 years. After Scott Pioli went to Kansas City in 2009, Caserio took on a key role as Belichick’s right-hand man. He was with the team for each of the six Super Bowl titles. The Patriots and Caserio reached another extension agreement in February 2020.
Should Caserio land this job, he will end up in an interesting situation. O’Brien’s brief GM tenure included a few glitzy and criticized transactions, and one of them – the Laremy Tunsil deal – leaves the Texans without their first or second round choices. Miami has Houston’s number 3 overall pick. It would be quite an achievement to revive this roster, but the Texans hiring a director who they pursue for years would also be a big step.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.