Texans: Deshaun Watson’s fate now tied to Nick Caserio

Hiring Nick Caserio from the New England Patriots did not come at a cheap price for the Houston Texans.

The Houston Texans opted to part ways with head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien four weeks into the 2020 season. Nearly four months after the pick, the Texans found their new general manager in former New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio. As it turns out, securing Caserio didn’t come cheap.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Texans gave Caserio a six-year contract, which will make him one of the three highest-paid general managers in the NFL. The contract itself is impressive, and puts Deshaun Watson’s legacy in the hands of yet another GM making outlandish promises. For his sake, we hope Caserio can deliver.

Caserio already one of the richest GM’s in the game

The Texans have actually pursued Caserio back in 2019, after they fired Brian Gaine. Houston, however, ended their pursuit after the Patriots filed tampering charges. Two years later, they got a deal done.

Prior to his hiring with the Texans, Caserio interviewed with the Carolina Panthers for the general manager vacancy. Even before this interview, reports indicated that the New York Giants were considering hiring Caserio in case the organization opted to part ways with Dave Gettleman, which obviously didn’t happen.

With Caserio now in charge, he know inherits a team that had the third-worst record in the NFL and won’t have a first-round selection in this year’s NFL Draft due to the Laremy Tunsil trade orchestrated by O’Brien. That, and he’ll try to rebuild a winner around Watson, who recently received a four-year, $156 million contract from the team.

Watson consistently puts up MVP numbers, essentially putting his team on his back only to fall just short. Does Caserio have what it takes to change the tide?

But first, he’ll need to find a new head coach. The team has already interviewed Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell for the position. However, the team has no plans to interview Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for the vacancy.

Entering the second half of his prime, Watson needs the Texans to make the right decisions for a change.