Report: Texans Won't Hire GM, Will Divide Responsibilities Among Existing Staff

The Houston Texans reportedly will not have a general manager during the 2019 season. 

On Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the AFC South team will not hire a single GM and will instead split the responsibilities among current front-office members. Schefter listed Matt Bazirgan, James Liipfert, Chris Olsen and Jack Easterby as examples of members in the front office who will share the GM duties.

The position is still open after the Texans fired Brian Gaine in June.

The surprising move to fire Gaine came less than two years into his tenure after Houston hired him in January 2018. Sarah Bishop of ESPN.com noted the team hired Gaine to a five-year deal after former general manager Rick Smith left to help take care of his wife, who was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Texans CEO Cal McNair released a statement at the time of Gaine’s firing, saying the move came "after a thorough evaluation of our football operations":

According to Bishop, Olsen, the senior vice president of football administration, was considered the front-office leader until a replacement was found. Schefter mentioned Olsen as one of the people who will share the GM responsibilities.

Houston is coming off a bounce-back season that saw it go 11-5 and win the AFC South after missing the playoffs in 2017 with a 4-12 mark.

The team has made the postseason in three of the last four campaigns.