One of these days, I promise, the Houston Texans will have a normal offseason, with a returning head coach and a returning general manager, working hand in hand in trying to bring a Lombardi Trophy to our fair city. It was never going to be this offseason, in 2023, as Lovie Smith was fired in mid January and replaced by DeMeco Ryans.
However, we can dare to dream that 2024 is that magical time, where Ryans in his second year, and GM Nick Caserio in his fourth year, take the talent level on the Texans to a new strata, possibly even with a young franchise quarterback entering his second season. Alas, the rumor mill will not even let us dream of such stability.
Courtesy of Michael Lombardi, former NFL GM, via a transcribed tweet from Texan Wire’s John Crumpler:
Okay, so this is some fresh, new stuff. Even with all the churn at the head coach position the last two years, and with the firing of Jack Easterby, and a myriad of smaller moves around the office that the outside world never gets to see, we had never heard of the possibility that something could happen with Nick Caserio. And make no mistake — I read “organizationally things will get shifted” as something happening with the team’s front office power structure.
Lombardi intimates that nobody is getting fired, but it is possible to relieve somebody of their duties without using the word “fired.” So with that in mind, let’s run down the scenarios, because there are only three “shifts” that potentially affect Nick Caserio. What are the chances of each of these?
Caserio stays on board, but with a restructured, revamped front office staff
This particular choice can go any number of ways. If there is an influx of personnel guys and scouts from San Francisco, that could be a sign that DeMeco Ryans’ power is growing early in the building. There could be what amounts to a normal amount of churn among the scouting and personnel departments. Whatever the case, this is the only scenario in which any amount of “shifting” means Caserio is still a Texans employee.
Caserio and the Texans mutually part ways (i.e. a firing without the word “fired”)
“Mutually parting ways” would mean that the McNair family agrees that the right thing to create a Caserio-less environment over at NRG Stadium. I just frankly don’t think the McNairs feel that way. I think they like Caserio, respect Caserio, and most importantly, think Caserio is a capable general manager. Every public appearance in which Cal or Hannah McNair are asked about Caserio, they talk about him in glowing terms, and acknowledge the cesspool he inherited the day he landed in Houston in January 2021.
Caserio chooses to resign, and winds up working elsewhere
Of the three scenarios herein, I think this one is the most likely, IF indeed Caserio is no longer the team’s GM moving forward. The reason behind his leaving would be the big variable. Maybe two years in, this just isn’t what he had envisioned. Maybe his family doesn’t like living in Houston. Maybe, as some have speculated, he would like to go back to New England. If that were the case, then it would likely require some sort of draft compensation from the Patriots to the Texans in a trade, as Caserio has three years remaining on his deal.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
