New England Patriots extend Nick Caserio, their Director of Player Personnel

The New England Patriots agreed to a multi-year extension with top executive Nick Caserio. Caserio has worked under Bill Belichick for 20 years now.

The New England Patriots and their Director of Player Personnel, Nick Caserio, agreed to a multi-year extension, as was first reported by Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

After several years in which New England lost key staff members such as Matt Patricia, Brian Flores, Joe Judge, and (most recently) Dante Scarnecchia, the Patriots finally found a way to retain an essential piece of their success.

It was less than a year ago when the Houston Texans tried to hire Caserio out from under the Pats, but New England brass put a quick stop to that. The Patriots claimed that the Texans had been tampering, and many assumed that the relationship between Caserio and the Patriots would conclude after the 2019 season as a result of all the strife and discord.

Caserio previously coached the 2007 record-breaking wide receivers for the Pats. That was the season that Wes Welker led the league in catches and Randy Moss broke the NFL single-season record for touchdowns. Both did so in their first season for the Patriots, and while playing in a sophisticated offense that didn’t favor new receivers.

Caserio has been in New England since 2001 when he was a personnel assistant, and he has been a part of the Patriots championship run for the last 20 years.

Here’s more on Caserio and his relationship with Belichick, courtesy of NESN’s Doug Kyed:

"“Nick is (Bill Belichick’s) right-hand man when it comes to player personnel. He facilitates the information from the scouting department to the coaching staff and is able to combine the two departments and have it working with complete synergy on a daily basis.”"

In Caserio’s present role, he is responsible for scouting, drafting, signing, and developing players for the team. New England is known for finding the diamond in the rough when it comes to talent, and the Patriots credit Caserio as a major “architect” of their victories in Super Bowls 49, 51, and 53.

Caserio’s role doesn’t stop in the front office either — he is often seen in practice throwing balls to the wide receivers in practice and workouts.

Here’s more of what Welker said, again courtesy of NESN’s Kyed:

"“It was always good to have him as an extra arm just to throw to us and all of those things. That was actually a really good deal to have because he can rip the ball.”"

“Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Only the first half of that phrase applies to Caserio. He plays many roles in New England, and he will again be of value for the Patriots in 2020 — and perhaps even instrumental in re-signing their 42-year-old signal-caller.