Nick Caserio is staying with the New England Patriots as the Texans withdrew their request to interview Bill Belichick’s right-hand man for the vacant general manager post in Houston.
New England, in turn, dropped tampering charges, according to multiple media reports.
“When we started the process to interview Nick Caserio for our EVP/GM position, we consulted the League office on numerous occasions, followed the procedures outlined in the League’s rules and believed we were in full compliance. We have now been made aware of certain terms in Nick’s contract with the Patriots. Once we were made aware of these contract terms, I informed Mr. Kraft that we would stop pursuing Nick,” Texans CEO Cal McNair said Friday in a prepared statement.
The Patriots filed tampering charges against the Texans and the NFL opened an investigation regarding attempts to lure Patriots director of player personnel Caserio to Houston to become general manager.
However, on Friday, Patriots owner Bob Kraft said in a statement, “The Houston Texans and the New England Patriots have always had a great working relationship. We appreciate the way Cal McNair has handled this situation.”
The Texans fired former GM Brian Gaine on June 7, 17 months after giving him a five-year contract and one day after the Patriots’ Super Bowl ring ceremony. According to multiple reports, new Texans executive vice president of team development Jack Easterby — the Patriots’ former team chaplain — was at Thursday’s ring ceremony, as was Caserio.
Asked Tuesday if he or Easterby had contact with Caserio or his representatives before Gaine’s firing, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters, “I would say that the answer to that is not relative to contact about anything having to do with the Houston Texans. No.”
The Texans formally requested permission to interview Caserio, just as they did in January 2018, when the Patriots denied the request and the Texans moved on to hire Gaine.
Caserio, 43, has held his position since 2008 as the top personnel man for Belichick, who has final authority on personnel decisions. He is also close with O’Brien, who coached in New England from 2007 to 2011.
Caserio has turned down numerous overtures for GM jobs in the past, though he was allowed to interview with the Miami Dolphins in 2014. He was widely considered the favorite for the Texans’ job if he is interested.
Houston has reportedly interviewed San Francisco 49ers vice president of player personnel Martin Mayhew — the former Detroit Lions GM — and former Cleveland Browns GM Ray Farmer for the opening.
However, another possibility arose Friday when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Texans might opt to go without a GM for “less than a year.” O’Brien, Easterby and the team’s scouting department could share the GM duties for the rest of the year, according to Schefter.
