Brian Gaine was abruptly fired last month following a playoff season for the TexansGETTY IMAGES
The Texans are "not hiring" a GM for the '19 season after firing Brian Gaine last month, and instead will "divvy up those responsibilities among existing front-office members," according to sources cited by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Texans Dir of Player Personnel Matt Bazirgan, Dir of College Scouting James Liipfert, Senior VP/Football Administration Chris Olsen and Exec VP/Team Development Jack Easterby are expected to split the GM duties this season, after the team's failed pursuit of Patriots Dir of Player Personnel Nick Caserio for the GM position (ESPN.com, 7/10). In Boston, Justin Leger noted the Texans after firing Gaine "immediately shifted their focus to Caserio for the role." However, the Patriots "wasted no time filing tampering charges" against the Texans for talking to Caserio. As a result, the Texans "ended their pursuit of the longtime Patriots staffer." It will be "interesting to see if they make another run at Caserio once his contract" with the Patriots runs out after the '20 NFL Draft (NBCSPORTSBOSTON.com, 7/10).
AT THE HELM: In Houston, Greg Rajan wrote Texans Chair & CEO Cal McNair is the "most important" sports figure in the city this year. If anyone "fit the phrase 'hiding in plain sight,' it might be Cal McNair." While he has been a "constant presence during the Texans' existence," the November death of his father, late Texans Owner Bob McNair, means Cal McNair "assumes a more prominent and public role running the organization." With no GM in place and an "unconventional management structure for now, it'll be interesting to see how the younger McNair runs the Texans." How McNair's actions "answer those questions make him arguably the most interesting figure in Houston sports" in '19 (HOUSTONCHRONICLE.com, 7/10).
