The Houston Texans are among the NFL teams looking for a new head coach, and a surprising name left an impression on them, according to a report.
Former Houston Chronicle Texans reporter Aaron Wilson reported Friday that Jonathan Gannon left a “strong impression” on the Texans after interviewing with them. Wilson further says Gannon interviewed well with the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings too.
Gannon, 39, just completed his first season as the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator. He was a defensive backs coach with the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings before being hired as Philly’s DC.
The Eagles went 9-8 this season and were 18th in the league in points allowed and 10th in yards allowed.
The Texans have also interviewed Josh McCown, Hines Ward, Joe Lombardi and Brian Flores for their job. They like McCown but reportedly have one hangup with hiring him.
The Houston Texans’ public flirtation with Josh McCown as a head coach candidate looks more than legitimate at this point.
Despite his lack of coaching experience, McCown appears to be a serious candidate for the Texans’ head coaching position. In fact, chatter is growing throughout the league that the Texans seriously want to hire McCown, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
To that end, Florio reports that the Texans are hopeful that another team will interview McCown, believing that would add legitimacy to his candidacy. Perhaps not coincidentally, Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson reported Friday that the Jacksonville Jaguars had at least spoken with McCown.
The Texans have to be somewhat serious about McCown if they are speaking to him again. After all, they attracted widespread criticism for interviewing him last year. Though he spent 17 years in the NFL, McCown has no coaching experience at the NFL or college level. Any questions about his qualifications are fair, especially when the team seems to have more accomplished options.
Photo: New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown throws the ball during warm ups. The New York Jets host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6 on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018, in East Rutherford. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com
Josh McCown was a staple in the NFL for nearly two decades, and now he may be taking his talents to the sideline.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Thursday that the longtime NFL quarterback McCown interviewed with the Houston Texans for their head coach position.
McCown, 42, was in the league for 17 years, making stops with a whopping twelve different NFL teams. The Texans were the last of those teams, having signed McCown in 2020. They released him before he played in a single game for them however.
The Texans are now looking for a head coach to replace David Culley, who was fired earlier this month after just one season in charge. Interestingly enough, this is now their second time interviewing McCown. The team interviewed him last year before hiring Culley in a move that drew widespread criticism.
Regardless of if McCown gets the job this time around, the Texans appear to have a clear type as they search for their next coach. Earlier this month, they interviewed another surprising former NFL player for the job.
Photo: New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown throws the ball during warm ups. The New York Jets host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6 on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018, in East Rutherford. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com
One former Houston Texans player is letting us know how he really feels about his old team.
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Charles Omenihu, who was acquired in a November trade with the Texans, spoke on Wednesday about the difference between the two teams.
“It’s definitely not a circus show here,” said Omenihu of the 49ers, per David Lombardi of The Athletic. “The leadership between coach and GM doesn’t seem like a power struggle. It seems like they’re on the same page… They make it very clear what they want.”
Omenihu, 24, was drafted by Houston in 2019 and spent three seasons with them before getting traded. Now he is thriving on a San Francisco team that is making some noise in this year’s playoffs. Omenihu even got to troll some opposing fans in a win last week.
The former University of Texas star Omenihu was in Houston during the era when Bill O’Brien was both head coach and general manager, so he did not appear to be referring to O’Brien with his dig. Instead, Omenihu seemed to be referring to current Texans GM Nick Caserio as well as former Texans head coach David Culley, who was just fired by the team.
In retrospect, the Culley hiring looked doomed from the very beginning. Now Omenihu is hinting that there were also issues between Culley and Caserio that may have ultimately done Culley in.
Photo: Sep 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Cardinals 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Texans remain in somewhat of a holding pattern with Deshaun Watson as the sexual assault claims against him are investigated, but it sounds like their long-term plans for the quarterback remain unchanged.
During an appearance on Sports Radio 610 Tuesday morning, Texans general manager Nick Caserio was asked if the team could potentially keep Watson depending on who replaces David Culley as head coach. Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores interviewed for the Texans job on Friday. The Dolphins were considered the most likely suitor for Watson when trade rumors were swirling several months ago.
Does that mean Watson could remain in Houston if the Texans hire Flores? Caserio said “that more than likely would not be the case,” according to the Houston Chronicle.
“I think we have to be open-minded and just take the information and process it and ultimately make the decision that we feel makes the most sense for everybody involved, whatever that looks like,” Caserio added.
Watson was a healthy inactive every week this season despite not being suspended or placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. He demanded a trade before he was accused of sexual assault by nearly two dozen women. Now, the two sides likely both want to part ways.
A recent report claimed Watson and Flores want to team up next season. That doesn’t mean they would do so in Houston.
Photo: Jan 27, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; AFC quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) in the NFL Pro Bowl football game at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Texans appear to be thinking outside the box with at least one of their head coaching interviews.
The Texans confirmed Saturday that they had interviewed longtime Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward for their head coaching vacancy. Ward currently serves as a special teams assistant at Florida Atlantic after a brief stint as a New York Jets offensive assistant.
Ward was absolutely not on anyone’s radar as a potential NFL head coach. The 45-year-old has no head coaching experience and hasn’t even served as a primary position coach at any level. No one disputes that he had a stellar playing career, but that alone doesn’t put him in contention for an NFL head coaching job.
The Texans have gotten into a habit of bringing in some very strange candidates for interviews. This is the latest example of that, though it’s arguably even stranger.
Photo: Oct 25, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; NBC Studio analyst Hines Ward stands on the sidelines prior to the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Brian Flores is not expected to be out of a job long after being fired by the Miami Dolphins. His first interview may be a hint about where he might prefer to land.
The Houston Texans announced Friday that Flores had interviewed for their head coaching job. This marks the first known interview for both Flores and the Texans.
The fact that the Texans targeted Flores immediately may mean nothing, but there are certainly links that would indicate extra interest from Houston in him. Texans GM Nick Caserio worked with Flores when the two were part of the New England Patriots organization. Flores also wanted the Dolphins to trade for Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, though bringing in Flores seems unlikely to convince Watson to stay with the organization.
The other leading candidate linked to the Texans also has Patriots ties. With that in mind, Flores being a potential target is hardly a surprise.
The Houston Texans may move quickly to fill their head coaching vacancy after firing David Culley on Thursday.
The Texans have strong interest in New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Mayo is likely to emerge as a “leading candidate” for the head coach role.
Mayo has been viewed as a name on the rise in coaching circles for some time now. He played for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015, and rejoined the organization as a coach in 2019. He has interest from other teams, with the Denver Broncos also showing some early interest in him.
Texans GM Nick Caserio, a longtime member of the Patriots organization, is likely to favor someone from a similar background. Mayo makes sense from that perspective, as does another former Patriots coach who recently became available.
Photo: Aug 29, 2019; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo watches the action during the second half against the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Texans fired head coach David Culley on Thursday after just one season. That might lead some to wonder if Deshaun Watson’s desire to leave the organization might be impacted with a new head coach coming in.
The answer appears to be no, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB. Watson’s issue remains with Houston’s ownership, and the quarterback never had a problem with Culley. The coaching situation likely does not matter as it relates to Watson’s desire to leave.
Watson wanted a trade even before Culley was hired. That hire made no difference to the quarterback, and the situation has not changed nearly a year later. As long as ownership remains in place, it seems unlikely that Watson will change his mind, and Culley’s replacement will probably have to deal with the same problem.
The likelihood of a potential Watson trade remains unclear regardless of who the Texans bring in as head coach. The destination is a mystery too, especially after another coaching change may have taken one team out of the running.
Photo: Jan 27, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; AFC quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) in the NFL Pro Bowl football game at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
David Culley was not really given a fair shot in Houston this season, but that will be the only shot the head coach gets with the Texans.
Culley was fired by the Texans on Thursday, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Media report.
Houston finished 4-13 this season, but Culley never stood a chance with the way the roster was constructed. The 66-year-old was hired amid the Deshaun Watson sexual assault allegation scandal and serious organizational dysfunction. Many suspected he would serve as a bridge coach, which is exactly what ended up happening.
Former New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio was hired as the general manager of the Texans last year. Brian Flores, who was recently fired by the Miami Dolphins, and Josh McDaniels will be two potential candidates to watch for the Texans head coach job. Flores was a former defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick, and McDaniels is the offensive coordinator in New England.
Culley had been an assistant coach in the NFL since 1994 before the Texans hired him. He will likely have no trouble finding another job in the league, even if it is not as a head coach.
Photo: Sep 12, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach David Culley waves while walking off the field after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
