After 12 seasons, the Houston Texans were in the market for a new general manager after Rick Smith announced he would take a leave of absence. Now the team has hired Brian Gaine to take over, according to Ian Rapoport.
Meet Brian Gaine, the new general manager of the Texans
Houston has hired Rick Smith’s replacement.
Photo by Getty Images
Gaine was hired away from the Texans last May by the Bills as Buffalo’s vice president of player personnel. His familiarity with the Texans organization helped pave the way for his return to Houston.
Smith served as the team’s GM since 2006 and was executive vice president since 2012. He’s taking a leave of absence for at least one season, and maybe longer, to support his wife, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. And Smith said he plans to remain with the Texans when he returns.
”It’s a fluid process, but I absolutely intend on coming back,” Smith said, via NFL.com’s Austin Knoblauch. “I will maintain that at least the executive vice president title and if [owner] Mr. [Bob] McNair feels like he wants to hire a general manager, then he will hire a general manager, and that will be just fine.”
That is what McNair decided to do with the assistance of a search firm. And Gaine is the executive the Texans chose to bring in.
What are the challenges for Gaine with the Texans?
Aside from some potential awkwardness with Smith still in the Texans’ front office, he’ll have to have a productive working relationship with Bill O’Brien. O’Brien is expected to sign a long-term extension now that a new GM is in place, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
Smith and O’Brien haven’t been on the best terms lately, and things seemingly came to a boiling point this season. The Houston Chronicle described their relationship as “toxic” and “dysfunctional,” indicating that they could no longer coexist.
Under Smith’s watch, the Texans crawled out of expansion-team purgatory to become a relatively successful franchise, winning four division titles over the past seven seasons. However, they never quite got over the hump to become a legitimate contender, and 2017 was a step backwards in nearly every way.
The Texans went 4-12 after season-ending injuries to Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt, and Whitney Mercilus, among many others. It was their first double-digit loss season since 2013.
Where do the Texans go from here?
Despite a nightmare season, the Texans have a talented squad, full of legitimate superstars (Watson, Watt, Mercilus, DeAndre Hopkins) to build around. Staying healthy is an obvious concern, but Watson was on the way to a historic rookie season before tearing his ACL. Getting a franchise quarterback is half the battle in the NFL, so hopes are high for Watson entering his second season.
Gaine will likely be asked to get along with O’Brien, but he had a good working relationship with front office personnel and coaching staff alike, according to McClain.
The cupboard is well stocked, and it shouldn’t take much for Houston to get back in the playoffs.
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