Following their bungled pursuit of New England Patriots personnel man Nick Caserio, the Houston Texans appear to be wading into the 2019 season without a general manager.
Houston has been proceeding as if it won't hire a GM ahead of the 2019 campaign, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday, per sources with knowledge of the situation.
The Patriots filed tampering charges against the Texans last month after Houston attempted to whisk Caserio away from New England. Caserio's contract with the Patriots is up following the 2020 draft, and the only way for Houston to obtain Caserio's services is via trade. While there were trade talks between New England and Houston immediately after the Pats brought tampering charges, no deal was finalized, and the Texans abandoned their pursuit of Caserio -- for now.
Pelissero reported that if the price for Caserio (draft compensation, likely) does not come down, Houston is poised to "wait it out," meaning going the entire 2019 season without someone in the building holding the general manager title.
In the meantime, Texans coach Bill O'Brien, executive vice president of team development Jack Easterby and others will enjoy more personnel responsibilities, Pelissero added.
The focus of New England's tampering charges reportedly was Easterby, a former Patriots development director who was in attendance at New England's ring ceremony one day before Gaine's ouster.
Houston's ties to New England run deep, as O'Brien spent five seasons with the Pats, including one as offensive coordinator. During his five-plus-year reign as Texans coach, O'Brien has hired many former Patriots staffers, including Romeo Crennel, Mike Vrabel, Larry Izzo, Wes Welker and most recently, Easterby.
