Texans End Pursuit of Nick Caserio for GM Job; Patriots Drop Tampering Charges

The Houston Texans will not be hiring Nick Caserio as their next general manager. 

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reported Friday the Texans are withdrawing their pursuit of the New England Patriots director of player personnel, and as a result, the Patriots are withdrawing tampering charges. 

Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair issued a statement regarding the situation: 

The position opened up when Houston fired Brian Gaine last Friday.

Immediately, Caserio was pegged as the favorite to replace Gaine.

McClain pointed out Caserio was the Texans' first choice "the last time" when Houston ultimately hired Gaine in January 2018, while MMQB.com's Albert Breer noted Caserio's friendship with Texans head coach Bill O'Brien, a former offensive coordinator at New England.

Allegations of tampering entered the equation during a Super Bowl ring ceremony at Patriots owner Robert Kraft's home, according to Houston's ABC13: 

"Former Patriots team chaplain and current Texans executive vice president of team development Jack Easterby attended that party, as did Caserio, New England's director of player personnel since 2008. The Texans have requested permission to interview Caserio for their GM job but have not been granted permission to date, per sources."

On Friday, Kraft released a statement: "The Houston Texans and the New England Patriots have always had a great working relationship. We appreciate the way Cal McNair has handled this situation."

Moving forward, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Texans might go the entire 2019 season without a general manager—instead having O'Brien, Easterby and the scouting department collectively doing the job.