Patriots: There’s no way Nick Caserio leaves for Texans this time
By Adam Weinrib
Patriots fans have to know the Texans can’t “woo” Nick Caserio again after being smacked away by the league last time.
Nick Caserio, the Patriots’ director of player personnel, has been down this road before.
So far down this road, of course, that even the whispers of his potential departure evoked threats of a protracted lawsuit handed down by his current employer. That’s how you know a move is viable, right?!
Let’s lay out the basics. The Houston Texans are, once again, looking for a GM to right the ship, after evidence mounted that Bill O’Brien was a bad head coach, a bad general manager, a bad tight end, a bad sous chef, and a terrible linesman. Can’t do one job, can’t do ’em all, he’s gotta go.
Naturally, we’re right back where we started in 2019 — the team is intrigued by Caserio, the under-the-radar personnel genius who has helped steady the Belichick regime in recent years. They even have Jack Easterby in place guiding the team’s direction, a former close confidant of both Josh McDaniels and Caserio in New England. Surely, this is the year Caserio throws caution to the wind and bolts for H-Town in 2021, right?
Counterpoint: Why would he do that? And why would the Texans be willing to dangle their hands in the tiger cage and get bit here yet again?
McDaniels, sure. We could see it. He’s likely been promised something in New England long-term (we have to assume that by now, right? Either that, or Andrew Luck gave him a heads up), but he’s been a flight risk in the past, and could be interested in hunkering down with Deshaun Watson long-term after practicing his skill set with Cam Newton.
But Caserio isn’t going anywhere, and the Texans should avoid the conversation. After most people accidentally touch the stove once, they never do it again, right?
Caserio’s two-year extension with the Patriots this offseason reportedly allows him the chance to negotiate outside the organization without the threat of a tampering charge, but we’ll believe it when we see it. And, after all, the karma involved in the Texans’ attempted poaching of the personnel man back in 2019 has sent shockwaves through the organization. Bad shockwaves!
Houston attempted to mess with the wrong organization, got burned, and got their roster and title chances decimated after putting their trust in the wrong one-man show in O’Brien.
You’re telling me Caserio is itching to ditch New England after watching Houston jettison DeAndre Hopkins and add the salary of an injury-risk running back in David Johnson? He’s just dying to head to a team that can’t win and gave their first-rounder to Miami? Stop worrying. He’s not even listening to the pitch.