The Houston Texans apparently did not consult Deshaun Watson prior to hiring Nick Caserio as their general manager, but the quarterback wasn’t the only person who was ignored. The Texans also chose not to heed the advice of their own search firm.
Texans owner Cal McNair hired search firm Korn Ferry to assist the team in hiring a general manager. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the firm settled on Pittsburgh Steelers vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan, with ESPN analyst Louis Riddick also considered a finalist. McNair ended up ignoring the advice he paid top dollar for and going with Caserio.
Watson is said to be angry that he was not consulted before Caserio was hired, which doesn’t necessarily mean he disagrees with the hire itself. However, sources told Schefter that multiple people in the Texans organization are upset that McNair ignored the search firm’s advice and pivoted so abruptly.
Caserio has a close relationship with Texans vice president of football operations Jack Easterby. Both worked together with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots prior to taking their respective jobs in Houston. That almost certainly played a role in Caserio landing the GM job.
The Texans have reportedly not been able to get in touch with Watson in days. The quarterback’s agent sent a tweet on Friday ripping the team, though he quickly deleted it. You can see a screenshot of the tweet here.
If Watson does wind up demanding a trade, a new report says he could be swapped for another quarterback in a blockbuster deal.
