Houston Texans

The Houston Texans hired Lovie Smith as head coach on Monday, with Pep Hamilton also being promoted to offensive coordinator.

Houston general manager Nick Caserio discussed the hiring in a statement:

I am excited to introduce Lovie Smith as our next head coach. He is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL and an established leader. A proven winner, Lovie has shown the ability to develop players both on and off the field for years. We had numerous discussions with countless coaches, executives, and players, and what revealed itself is that Lovie has both the leadership and people skills it takes to lead us forward. We both understand how much work is in front of us, but we embrace the responsibility and look forward to continuing to build a program that can have sustained success.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Field Yates first reported the news of Smith's hiring.

The Houston position was open after the Texans fired David Culley on Jan. 13 following just one season. While the 66-year-old went only 4-13 in 2021, he was working in a difficult situation that would have been challenging for any coach.

Houston hired Culley after a 4-12 mark in 2020 that saw Romeo Crennel take over as the interim head coach when Bill O'Brien was fired four games into the season.

Culley's job was made more complicated when Deshaun Watson requested a trade during the offseason.

In addition, 22 women filed lawsuits accusing the 26-year-old of sexual assault or misconduct, and the team made him inactive throughout the 2021 campaign because of his legal situation.

Replacement signal-caller Tyrod Taylor appeared in just six games because of injury, which forced rookie Davis Mills into action.

While the 23-year-old showed flashes of his potential at times during his first season, Houston likely didn't envision him having such a major role right away when it selected him with a third-round pick.

The result was a 4-13 record, the second straight season the Texans finished with four wins.

It was a far cry from the back-to-back playoff appearances of 2018 and 2019, and the Smith comes into a situation with plenty of uncertainty and an overall talent level that falls short of several other AFC contenders.

Whether he can turn things around, and how quickly he can do so, will determine whether his tenure is seen as a success or failure for a franchise that has never advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs.

Smith will surely be motivated to succeed in his return to a head coaching job for the first time since the 2015 campaign.

He is best known for his tenure with the Chicago Bears, which lasted from 2004 through 2012 and included one trip to the Super Bowl and three playoff appearances. Smith posted an 81-63 record during his nine years with the Bears while leading teams that were best known for their defensive prowess.

Smith's time as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not go as well, as evidenced by his 8-24 record in 2014 and 2015.

The veteran coach is familiar with the Texans from his time as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator in 2021 and will look to build a winner like he did in Chicago and put his struggles with Tampa Bay into the rearview mirror.

Other finalists for the job appeared to be former quarterback Josh McCown and former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who each interviewed with the team twice. Flores is currently suing the NFL and its teams for discriminatory hiring practices.

The Houston Texans are reportedly "moving toward" promoting defensive coordinator Lovie Smith to head coach.

Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported the deal is near completion. It's expected that an announcement will be made later Monday or early Tuesday. 

Smith, 63, spent last season as an associate head coach and defensive coordinator in Houston under David Culley. The Texans fired Culley after only one season in January.

For much of the search, it appeared Houston was determined to hire former NFL quarterback Josh McCown as its next head coach. The team interviewed the 42-year-old as part of its hiring process last offseason before hiring Culley and then brought him in again this offseason—a sign the team had some buyer's remorse about not hiring McCown in the previous cycle.

However, it appears that widespread criticism of McCown's potential hiring may have led the team in another direction. McCown has no coaching experience at any level of football, and the spotlight on hiring an inexperienced, white head coach amid the racial discrimination lawsuit filed against the NFL by Brian Flores had the makings of a public relations nightmare.

Garafolo reported the Texans could hire McCown as an assistant under Smith, which would make for an awkward situation if Houston gets off to a slow start in 2022.

The Texans' coaching search is rivaled only by the Jacksonville Jaguars in its head-scratching nature. It appears the team had a plan in place for its search heading into the offseason and abandoned it; Smith was not linked to the vacancy until the last week.

Regardless, it's hard to find much logic in Houston firing Culley and then running things back next season with almost his entire staff in place unless the working relationship between the two sides had gotten toxic.

Smith previously spent nine years with the Chicago Bears and two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an NFL head coach. He holds an 89-87 overall record and was also 17-39 in five seasons at the University of Illinois. 

The Houston Texans are reportedly "in talks" with associate head coach and defensive coordinator Lovie Smith about potentially becoming their next head coach, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Field Yates. 

Smith has always been considered for the job, but his "candidacy as head coach has gained steam in recent days," Schefter added. 

The news comes after Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reported that Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon had been told that he will not be named the Texans' next head coach. 

Gannon, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and former NFL quarterback Josh McCown were reported finalists for the Texans head coaching position. However, ESPN's Sarah Barshop reported Sunday that McCown is now out of the race. 

The news about McCown shouldn't come as a surprise. He has no professional coaching experience, and the other candidates are far more qualified. 

Barshop also reported that if Smith gets the job, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton is expected to be Houston's offensive coordinator. Hamilton last held an offensive coordinator role for the Indianapolis Colts from 2013 to '15.

Smith, 63, joined the Texans for the 2021 season after serving as head coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini from 2016 to '20. However, his NFL coaching experience began in 1996, when he took over as the linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers until 2000. 

Smith then served as defensive coordinator for the then-St. Louis Rams from 2001 to '03. He served as head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2004 to '12 and the Buccaneers from 2014 to '15. 

In 11 seasons as an NFL head coach, Smith went 89-87. His most successful campaigns came during his tenure with the Bears, as he led the franchise to the postseason three times, including an NFC championship during the 2006 season. 

The Texans are searching for a new head coach after firing David Culley last month. Culley, 66, led Houston to a 4-13 record in 2021 despite having one of the worst rosters in the NFL. It was his only season with the franchise. 

Houston is one of two NFL teams remaining without a head coach, joining the New Orleans Saints.

The New York Giants (Brian Daboll), Minnesota Vikings (Kevin O'Connell), Miami Dolphins (Mike McDaniel), Denver Broncos (Nathaniel Hackett), Chicago Bears (Matt Eberflus), Las Vegas Raiders (Josh McDaniels) and Jacksonville Jaguars (Doug Pederson) have all hired new head coaches this offseason. 

It appears Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will remain in Philadelphia for the 2022 season.

According to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, Gannon has been informed that he will not be named the Houston Texans' next head coach. Pro Football Network's Aaron Wilson previously reported Gannon was a finalist for the job.

In addition to Gannon, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and former NFL quarterback Josh McCown were reported finalists for the Texans head coaching position.

Gannon, 39, just wrapped up his first season as Philadelphia's defensive coordinator. Under him, the Eagles defense progressed from 19th in total yards per game in 2020 to 10th in 2021.

The Eagles had the No. 11 pass defense this season, which was an improvement from their No. 15 ranking in 2020. The run defense ranked ninth in both 2020 and 2021.

Before joining the Eagles, Gannon spent three seasons as a defensive backs coach for the Indianapolis Colts. He got his start in the NFL in 2007 as a defensive quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons.

He also spent time as the Tennessee Titans defensive quality control coach from 2012 to 2013 and the Minnesota Vikings assistant defensive backs coach from 2014 to 2017.

Of Houston's three reported head coaching finalists, McCown has the least experience, having never served in a coaching role in the NFL. At this point, it would seem like Flores is the front-runner, but that hasn't been reported.

Flores filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging racial discrimination in the league's hiring practices, but CBS Sports' Josina Anderson reported Thursday that he was still a finalist.

The Texans are searching for a new head coach after firing David Culley following just one season. Houston finished the 2021 campaign with a 4-13 record, its second straight losing season.

Amid his class-action lawsuit against the NFL, Brian Flores is reportedly still in the running for the Houston Texans' head-coaching vacancy. 

Per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports HQ and USA Today, Flores is considered a finalist for the job. 

Flores filed the lawsuit against the league and all 32 teams on Tuesday alleging racial discrimination in the hiring process for coaches. 

Flores also alleged in the lawsuit that Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him a $100,000 incentive for each loss during the 2019 season to improve the team's draft position and later tried to get him to violate the league's tampering policy. 

According to Anderson, the Texans have been vetting staffing plans for their finalists to ascertain the viability, availability and fit with the team before making a decision. 

During a Wednesday appearance on ESPN's Get Up (h/t John Singler of Saints Wire), Flores said he gave the Texans and New Orleans Saints advance word of his lawsuit before it became public. 

ESPN's Mike Triplett reported Flores met with Saints management on Tuesday in Mobile, Alabama, to interview for their vacant head coaching position. 

Per Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle, Flores had a second interview with the Texans earlier this week.

Jacob Camenker of Sporting News noted Flores, Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, former NFL quarterback Josh McCown and Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell either met with or received a second-interview request from the Texans. 

Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, O'Connell is expected be named head coach of the Minnesota Vikings after the Rams play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 13. 

The Texans are searching for a new head coach for the second straight offseason. They fired David Culley on Jan. 13 after he went 4-13 in his first season with the team. 

Flores spent the past three seasons as head coach of the Dolphins. The 40-year-old went 24-25 overall and posted back-to-back winning seasons in 2020 and 2021.     

The Houston Texans are interviewing former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as part of their coaching search, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero reported Flores has already spoken with the Texans "multiple times," and he has experience working with Houston general manager Nick Caserio from their time together with the New England Patriots.

Many were surprised when the Dolphins fired Flores. While they missed the playoffs for the third straight year under his watch, they posted a winning record (9-8) for the second successive season.

With the Texans moving on from David Culley, the 40-year-old became an obvious candidate for that post. Beyond a respectable 24-25 record in Miami, he already has a rapport with disgruntled Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Flores is also interviewing for the New Orleans Saints' vacancy, which unexpectedly became available with the departure of Sean Payton.

Over the past year and change, the Texans have largely made headlines for the wrong reasons.

Watson remains the subject of 22 civil lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints filed by women alleging sexual assault and misconduct. He will be deposed in February at the earliest.

Prior to those allegations coming to light, his standoff with the team exposed the internal dysfunction in Houston. Caserio's arrival has done little to quell the concerns about the Texans' long-term outlook.

By finishing 4-13, Houston arguably performed better than expected given how much Watson's absence torpedoed any chance of posting a winning record. Because of that, Culley's ouster was met with some surprise.

Even more perplexing, Josh McCown received a second interview with the Texans as a coaching candidate, per Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. The 42-year-old former quarterback has no coaching experience at the NFL level, so hiring him would be a big gamble.

Should Houston ultimately select Flores, the fanbase might feel a little better about the organization's direction in 2022.

The Houston Texans are reportedly set to hold a second interview with Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon on Saturday about their head coaching vacancy.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Gannon becomes the second person to speak with the Texans twice. He joins former quarterback Josh McCown, who John McClain of the Houston Chronicle described as the "favorite," with a potential announcement next week.

Houston decided to fire head coach David Culley after just one season following a 4-13 campaign.

The quick hook raised questions about whether the Texans would have a difficult time drumming up interest in the position, especially since the roster Culley was asked to lead didn't have enough high-end talent to seriously contend in 2021.

McCown previously interviewed for the Houston job last year before the front office settled on Culley. He spent his final season as a player with the Texans in 2020.

The 42-year-old Texas native has no coaching experience, but he spent 19 years as a player and said in November 2020 he "definitely" wanted to coach in the future:

If you'd asked me that 10 years ago, I would've said no way, that's not what I want to do at this level. My dream coming out of college had I not been able to play in the NFL was to coach high school football here in Texas. The longer I've been in this game and been around these guys, I see real value in being able to be a part of an organization and compete at the highest level.

Meanwhile, Gannon has nearly two decades of experience on the sideline dating back to 2003, when he started working at his alma mater, the University of Louisville.

The 2021 season marked his first in a coordinator role. He guided the Eagles defense to a 10th-place finish in yards allowed, a sizable improvement from 2020 when they ranked 19th.

Philly head coach Nick Sirianni gave Gannon a vote of confidence when this year's coaching carousel began to spin earlier this month.

"I think he'd be a great head football coach in the NFL," Sirianni told reporters. "I just think he has all the intangibles, all the qualities that I think you need to be a good head football coach. Jonathan has those things."

It's unclear whether the Texans plan on bringing any other coaches back in during their second round of interviews.

Regardless of who's selected, general manager Nick Caserio has a lot of work to do in the months ahead to get the roster to a point where playoff contention is possible in 2022.

Former NFL quarterback Josh McCown earned a second interview with the Houston Texans and is the "first known finalist" for the franchise's vacant head coach position, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo.

McCown is "all in" on becoming Houston's head coach, Pelissero added.

McCown's only coaching experience came in 2019 when he served as quarterbacks coach for his sons' high school football team in North Carolina. He held the position while backing up former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.

Despite his lack of experience, McCown has been linked to several openings since 2019. The Eagles considered interviewing him for their head coach position before hiring Nick Sirianni in 2021, per CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora.

In addition, the Texans considered McCown for their top job before hiring David Culley last offseason. McCown wasn't ready to commit to the position, but his thinking is reportedly different this year.

McCown was a third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2002. He spent four seasons with the franchise before bouncing around the NFL through 2019, also playing for the Eagles, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.

The 42-year-old compiled a 23-53 record and completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 17,731 yards and 98 touchdowns with 82 interceptions. He appeared in 102 games (76 starts).

In addition to McCown, the Texans are reportedly interested in former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and Florida Atlantic University special assistant and wide receivers coach Hines Ward.

The Texans fired Culley two weeks ago after just one season. He led the team to a 4-13 record. 

The Houston Texans will try to trade quarterback Deshaun Watson this offseason, but he won't end up with the New York Giants.

"We're not trading for Deshaun Watson," Giants owner John Mara told reporters Wednesday. 

Watson asked for a trade out of Houston last offseason, and he sat out all of 2021 after 22 women filed lawsuits accusing the 26-year-old of sexual assault or misconduct. The Texans reportedly plan to move the three-time Pro Bowl before the start of the league year on March 16, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Mara added "there's so many reasons" why New York won't be trading for Watson, saying that the allegations are a factor as well as the team's current salary cap situation.

The Giants could have been a fit as they try to shake things up following five straight losing seasons, but it's clear they will look to improve in other ways. 

Though the Giants still must hire a head coach, the front office appears content with Daniel Jones at quarterback. 

Speaking at his introductory press conference Wednesday, new general manager Joe Schoen indicated Jones is still part of the team's plans.

"The kid has physical ability," Schoen told reporters. "We'll build an offense to accentuate what Daniel does best."

Injuries limited Jones to just 11 games in 2021, although he continued to struggle with just 10 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. It came after he threw only 11 touchdown passes across 14 games in 2020.

The 2019 No. 6 overall draft pick has only an 84.3 quarterback rating across three seasons.

Watson had 33 passing touchdowns when he last played in 2020, producing a 104.5 career passer rating in his four seasons.

New York will still avoid the trade, instead hoping the change at head coach will be enough to turn things around for an offense that finished 31st in the NFL in both points scored and total yards.