Report: Texans hire Patriots executive Caserio as new GM

The Houston Texans have found their next general manager - and it's a known name for Texans fans.

Houston hired New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio as the team's next general manager, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Texans pursued Caserio two years ago for their vacant general manager position but ended the pursuit after the Patriots filed tampering charges against the team. The charges were dropped after Houston backed off.

Houston also interviewed ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, Texans director of player personnel Matt Bazirgan, Seattle Seahawks vice president of player personnel Trent Kirchner, and Pittsburgh Steelers vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan.

Caserio had been with the Patriots since 2001. He held multiple roles with the club - including wide receivers coach in 2007 - before being named director of player personnel in 2008. The 45-year-old inked a contract extension with New England in February 2020.

Caserio's main challenge with the Texans will be giving star quarterback Deshaun Watson a solid supporting cast. Despite Watson's stellar 2020 campaign, Houston finished the regular season 4-12, marking its worst record since 2017.

Caserio will have to adjust his new roster without great draft capital - the Texans currently don't have first- or second-round picks in 2021 - and with a tight salary-cap situation.

Houston's general manager role has been vacant since the team fired Bill O'Brien in October after an 0-4 start to the 2020 season. Executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby replaced O'Brien for the rest of that campaign.

Easterby previously worked with Caserio for six seasons while with the Patriots.