Patriots’ Nick Caserio travels to Houston to interview with Texans

Patriots’ Nick Caserio travels to Houston to interview with Texans

By FeliciaF.Rose 4 years ago

As the NFL regular season wraps up, it’s time for the annual parade of firings and hirings among coaching staffs.



a close up of a man: Nick Caserio.

© Craig F. Walker
Nick Caserio.

We’ll be tracking who’s losing their job, who’s getting a new one, and much more.

Teams with head coaching vacancies: Falcons, Lions, Texans, Jets, Jaguars, Chargers

Teams with general manager vacancies: Falcons, Lions, Texans, Panthers, Jaguars, Broncos

Caserio travels to Houston — 5:09 p.m.

Patriots’ director of player personnel Nick Caserio traveled to Houston to interview for the Texans’ open general manager position, ESPN reported Tuesday afternoon.

Twice, the Patriots blocked the Texans from hiring Caserio, most recently in 2019. An NFL rule change has cleared the way for Houston to make the hire if they wish.

Elway announces new role with Broncos — 3:15 p.m.

John Elway is giving up his role as general manager in Denver but will remain president of football operations, meaning the Broncos will need to make a GM hire.

The GM and head coach Vic Fangio will report to Elway, the team announced.

“Working in this role for the last 10 years and going back to my playing days, I’ve always tried to do everything I can to help the Broncos win and get better,” Elway said via a statement on Monday. “As part of a transition I’ve thought about for a long time, I have made the decision to step up into an elevated role and hire a general manager to lead our personnel and football staff.”

ESPN retracts report on Dolphins firing Chan Gailey — 1:45 p.m.

ESPN has retracted a report that the Dolphins fired offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, according to a story on ESPN.com.

“ESPN published an incorrect story on Monday involving Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. The story has been removed from ESPN.com, and replaced with this correction,” the story reads.

ESPN says the error was made “internally.”

The Globe’s story on NFL’s “Black Monday” has been updated to reflect this retraction.

Chargers fire Anthony Lynn — 11:44 a.m.

Chargers owner Dean Spanos said Monday that “we have made the decision to part ways” with Anthony Lynn as the head coach in Los Angeles.

Lynn led the Chargers to a 7-9 record, including a four-game win streak to end the season.

But the future is bright in Los Angeles, with rookie quarterback Justin Herbert emerging as a young star despite the losing season.

Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy a hot coaching name — 10:35 a.m.

Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has long been targeted as one of the top candidates for open head-coaching positions. ESPN is reporting that at least three teams —the Falcons, Jets, and Lions — have requested to interview him.

Texans request to interview Caserio — 9:44 a.m.

Texans are asking the Patriots for permission to interview director of player personnel Nick Caserio for their general manager opening, a league source confirmed to the Globe.

The Texans have walked down this road before: Twice, the Patriots have blocked Caserio from interviewing with Houston, most recently in the summer of 2019.

The Patriots have already fielded — and approved — a request for Caserio to interview with the Panthers.

Doug Marrone out as Jaguars HC — 9:03 a.m.

Doug Marrone is out as head coach of the Jaguars, the team announced.

Jacksonville finished 1-15, the only win coming in Week 1, and locked up the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft.

Marrone was named head coach at the end of the 2016 season, after stepping up as an interim for the final two games. He led Jacksonville to a first-place finish in the AFC South in 2017, and advanced all the way to the AFC Championship game before losing to the Patriots.

Zac Taylor sticking around in Cincy — 9:00 a.m.

The Bengals’ front office said Monday morning that Zac Taylor would remain head coach in Cincinnati.

“We remain bullish on the foundation Zac is building, and we look forward to next year giving our fans the winning results we all want,” team president Mike Brown said.

Jets fire Adam Gase — 9:06 p.m.

Following Sunday’s 28-14 loss to the Patriots, the Jets made official what had been rumored: Adam Gase is out as head coach.

“During his time here, I had the pleasure to get to know Adam and his wonderful family and wish them nothing but the best moving forward,” team chairman Christopher Johnson said in a statement on Sunday night. “While my sincere intentions are to have stability in our organization — especially in leadership positions — it is clear the best decision for the Jets is to move in a different direction.”

Who’s on the hot seat? — 8:45 p.m.

With the regular season all but wrapped up, a handful of coaches are said to be on the hot seat — some much hotter than others.

Adam Gase is all but gone from the Jets, according to reports. Same with Doug Marrone in Jacksonville.

ESPN says there’s a 50-50 chance that Anthony Lynn remains the head coach of the Chargers, who showed flashes of greatness with rookie quarterback Justin Herbert but struggled to a 7-9 record.

Caserio requested in Carolina — 5:20 p.m.

The Carolina Panthers asked to interview Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio regarding their open general manager position, the Globe confirmed.

GM, head coach, and coordinator midseason openings — 12:15 p.m.

Three teams fired their coaches and general managers in midseason:

  • The Lions fired coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn on Thanksgiving.
  • The Texans fired Bill O’Brien, who was serving as head coach and general manager, in October.
  • The Falcons fired coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff in October.

Two teams fired their GMs midseason:

  • The Jaguars fired Dave Caldwell in late November.
  • The Panthers fired Marty Hurney on Dec. 21.

Two teams fired defensive coordinators:

  • Gregg Williams was axed by the Jets on Dec. 7, after New York missed out on its first win of the season on a last-second play against the Raiders.
  • Paul Guenther was fired by the Raiders in December.

Three Patriots staffers linked to openings in Houston — 11:25 a.m.

The Texans are expected to fill their general manager role before they hire a head coach, but expect to hear a few familiar names thrown around.

Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio was sought by the Texans after the 2019 season, but their request to interview him for their GM position was blocked by the Patriots.

His name is one to watch to fill the GM role in Houston, according to the NFL Network.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Jerod Mayo, the Patriots’ linebackers coach, are also names to watch in the head-coaching search, according to the same report.

Big Ten rumors — 11:10 a.m.

ESPN reported Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who just led the Wildcats to a win over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl, is open to talking about an NFL job.

Ryan Day, whose Ohio State Buckeyes played their way into the college football championship game with a win over Clemson on Friday in the Sugar Bowl, is looking to stay at the college level, per the report.

Report: Urban Meyer to Jacksonville?

NFL Network reports that, while nothing has been made official, it’s likely the Jacksonville Jaguars move on from Doug Marrone as head coach.

Ian Rapoport says Urban Meyer, the former Ohio State coach, “has been lining up a staff and telling people he’s close to in the football community that he expects to land in Jacksonville.”

The Jaguars locked up the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft by losing 14 straight this year.

Report: Adam Gase to be let go

According to an NFL.com report, the Jets are expected to part ways with coach Adam Gase after Sunday’s game against the Patriots.

Among the candidates who might be considered, according to the report, are Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, and Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. College coaches in the mix could include Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, and Florida’s Dan Mullen.

Gase has a 9-22 record over two seasons, including two straight wins after an 0-13 start amidst a slew of injuries and other issues this season.

A look at this year’s crop of top NFL head coaching candidates

Kellen Moore won’t leave Cowboys

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Ed Werder reported Saturday night that Kellen Moore will remain with the Cowboys as defensive coordinator, passing up an opportunity to coach at his alma mater, Boise State.

Bryan Harsin left the Broncos to take the head coach position at Auburn, creating the opening.

Doug Pederson not going anywhere

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday that Doug Pederson is “expected to return” as the head coach of the Eagles next season.

Pederson has overseen a decline in Philadelphia since the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over the Patriots in 2018.

The Eagles play Washington in the season finale, but have already been knocked out of playoff contention in a dismal NFC East with a 4-10-1 record. Late in the season, Pederson benched starter Carson Wentz in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts.

ESPN reported Sunday that Wentz will look to be traded this offseason.

“His relationship with HC Doug Pederson is fractured beyond repair,” according to Chris Mortensen.

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