Josh McDaniels was linked to the Houston Texans head coaching job after the team fired Bill O’Brien early in the season. That talk has once again picked up steam this week with Nick Caserio being hired as the general manager in Houston, but apparently McDaniels is not a candidate.
Longtime Houston Chronicle reporter John McClain confidently said on Thursday that McDaniels will not be the next head coach of the Texans.
McDaniels is said to have close relationships with both Caserio and Texans executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby, who is another former Patriots employee. Caserio and McDaniels were also teammates at John Carroll University in Ohio and both began working for Bill Belichick at around the same time. Despite those deep roots, McDaniels is not on Houston’s list of potential head coaches.
The Texans have already interviewed Jim Caldwell, Marvin Lewis and Joe Brady. They are also planning to interview Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith after their respective seasons end, according to McClain.
McDaniels’ name comes up every year during the hiring period, and he may be more open to leaving New England now given the way things went without Tom Brady this season. Perhaps he is even willing to compromise on some of the lofty demands he reportedly made a year ago.
