The Houston Texans may end up surprising everyone with their head coach hire.
Houston is in talks with Lovie Smith about being their next head coach, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Texans are now in talks with their associate head coach and defensive coordinator Lovie Smith about potentially becoming their next head coach, sources tell me and @fieldyates.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2022
Schefter says Smith was being considered for the job all along but his candidacy has “gained steam” recently.
Texans have included Lovie Smith in their discussions all along, but his candidacy as head coach has gained steam in recent days, per source. https://t.co/fo8Vll4lFl
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2022
The Texans are going completely off the board if they make Smith their head coach.
Once upon a time, Smith was a very successful head coach of the Chicago Bears. He went 81-63 in the regular season and 3-3 in the postseason over nine seasons in Chicago from 2004-2012. He even made a Super Bowl.
His next head coach stint was in Tampa Bay, where he went 8-24 from 2014-2015. Smith then coached Illinois from 2016-2020, going 17-39.
Smith’s recent performances as a head coach have not been inspiring, which would make the selection for Houston odd. Smith also is the complete opposite of the recent trend for head coaches in the NFL.
The 63-year-old just served as associate head coach and defensive coordinator for Houston, which is coming off a 4-13 season.
In addition to Smith, the Texans have given strong consideration to Josh McCown, Brian Flores and Jonathan Gannon for the job.
Photo: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
