Texans Will No Longer Pursue Nick Caserio, Patriots Dropping Tampering Charges
The drama between the Texans and Patriots appears to be over. New England has agreed to drop the tampering charges against Houston, and the Texans have agreed to stop pursuing Nick Caserio for their general manager vacancy, per a statement from Texans owner Cal McNair, via Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link).
“We have now been made aware of certain terms in Nick’s contract with the Patriots. Once we were made aware of these contract terms, I informed Mr. [Robert] Kraft that we would stop pursuing Nick,” McNair’s statement reads in part. As soon as Houston fired Brian Gaine, word leaked that they preferred Caserio, a Patriots exec, for the job. The Texans tried interviewing Caserio the last time they had a vacancy, and the Patriots blocked it. New England clearly values Caserio very highly, and they weren’t going to let him get away easily this time either.
On Wednesday, the Patriots officially filed tampering charges with the league. The Texans announced the firing of Gaine the same day as the Patriots’ ring ceremony, which reportedly setoff some alarm bells in New England. For a while yesterday, it seemed like the Patriots and Texans might come to an agreement where Houston would send over a draft pick in return for Caserio, but that turned out not to be the case.
McNair’s public statement would seem to suggest that the Patriots had a legitimate case with their tampering charge, and the Texans didn’t want to risk discipline from the league. With Caserio of the list, the Texans will move forward with several known candidates to replace Gaine. We heard earlier this week that in addition to interviewing former Lions GM Martin Mayhew and former Browns GM Ray Farmer, the team was also interested in former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie, Patriots director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort, and former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli
Lions, Patriots Call Off Michael Roberts Trade
Michael Roberts isn’t going to the Patriots, after all. On Friday, the Lions announced that Roberts reverted back to the team’s roster, “per trade conditions.” Subsequently, the Lions waived the tight end.
Earlier this week, the Lions agreed to ship Roberts to the Patriots in exchange for a conditional 7th-round pick in 2020. For one reason or another, the trade effectively fell through.
Roberts has yet to break through at the pro level, but he has flashed some ability over the past two seasons. He had his best showing in October of last year when he caught two touchdown passes against the Dolphins. Ultimately, however, injuries have prevented him from really making a dent in the NFL.
Now, the league’s 30 other teams will have an opportunity to add him to the roster. The Cardinals, who finished with the worst record in the NFL in 2018, have No. 1 waiver priority.
Patriots, Texans Could Ultimately Agree To Deal For Nick Caserio?
The Patriots on Wednesday filed tampering charges against the Texans, who are pursuing New England director of player personnel Nick Caserio for their open general manager position. Speculation arose that the Patriots could accept draft pick compensation in exchange for Caserio, and that indeed may be the ultimate resolution to this saga.
A source with “knowledge of the dynamics and personalities involved” believes Houston will ultimately send a draft choice (or perhaps multiple draft choices) to New England in order to land Caserio, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The reasoning here is that if Caserio truly wants to leave the Patriots but isn’t allowed to defect, operations in New England could become “awkward.”
As John McClain of the Houston Chronicle indicated yesterday, the Texans are willing to give Caserio full control of their 53-man roster, and are open to putting that stipulation in writing. However, the NFL may need to determine whether Caserio is considered a “high level employee,” which would prevent him from leaving the Patriots even for a perceived promotion.
New Texans vice president of player development Jack Easterby — a former Patriots staffer — is in the middle of the controversy, as New England reportedly believes he discussed Houston’s GM job with Caserio at the Patriots’ Super Bowl ring ceremony last week. But as Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reported earlier today, Easterby and Caserio share the same agent, which could help the Texans deflect charges of tampering.
Nick Caserio, Jack Easterby Share Agent
- More from Breer (Twitter link), who notes that Texans figure Jack Easterby and Nick Caserio share an agent, which may make it easy for Houston to refute the Patriots‘ accusations of tampering. The Patriots claim that Easterby spoke with Caserio about the GM role at the Patriots’ Super Bowl ring ceremony last Thursday, which came hours before the dismissal of Brian Gaine. However, it could be hard for the Patriots to come up with concrete evidence of tampering since the two are former co-workers and share the same representation.
Lions Trade Michael Roberts To Patriots
The Lions are trading tight end Michael Roberts to the Patriots for a conditional 7th-round pick in 2020, according to Justin Rogers of the Detroit News (on Twitter). Roberts, a fourth-round pick in 2017, will hope to find success with a chance of scenery. 
Roberts has yet to break through at the pro level, but he has flashed some ability over the past two seasons. He had his best showing in October of last year when he caught two touchdown passes against the Dolphins. Ultimately, however, injuries have prevented him from really making a dent.
Roberts provides the Patriots with another possibility at tight end, something they sorely need after the retirement of star Rob Gronkowski. Austin Seferian-Jenkins was meant to be one of the team’s solutions at the position, but the Pats released him earlier this month when his personal problems reemerged. Meanwhile, new pickup Ben Watson will be sidelined for the first four games of the season due to PEDs.
As it currently stands, Matt LaCosse projects to be the Patriots’ starting TE when they open the season in September. The Roberts acquisition probably won’t change that, but he could provide some valuable support if he’s able to make the cut.
Latest On Texans, Patriots Exec Nick Caserio
The Patriots formally filed tampering charges against the Texans earlier Wednesday, accusing Houston of illegally pursuing director of player personnel Nick Caserio for its general manager vacancy. Here’s what we’ve learned about Caserio and the Texans since:
- The league will look into evidence that Texans vice president of player development Jack Easterby spoke with Caserio about the GM role at the Patriots’ Super Bowl ring ceremony last Thursday, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Easterby, who serves as something of a “character coach,” held a similar title in New England until 2019. The ex-pastor has already earned a large amount of responsibility in Houston, was reportedly an offseason target for several clubs before landing with the Texans, as Michael Lombardi noted on a recent episode of his GM Shuffle podcast.
- Texans head coach Bill O’Brien says neither he nor Easterby has spoken with Caserio about the open general manager position, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I would say that the answer to that is no relative to contact about anything having to do with the Houston Texans,” O’Brien said. “No.”
- Houston is willing to give Caserio a contract which gives him full control of its 53-man roster, reports John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. However, the Texans and Patriots are likely arguing over whether Caserio is considered a “high level employee,” a designation that would mean New England isn’t required to allow Caserio to depart, even for a perceived promotion, as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes.
- The Patriots could eventually ask the Texans for draft pick compensation in exchange for Caserio, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Indeed, Bill Belichick‘s endgame could simply be pressuring Houston into trading a draft selection for Caserio, as Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com speculates (Twitter link).
Pats RB Sony Michel Undergoes Knee Scope
Patriots running back Sony Michel missed the final phase of New England’s offseason workout program after undergoing a knee scope, tweets Jeff Howe of The Athletic. However, Michel should be available for the start of training camp.
For most players, a knee scope — especially one with a projected training camp return — wouldn’t necessarily make news, but Michel’s history of knee issues is certainly concerning. Michel, who was selected 31st overall in 2018, had knee concerns heading into the draft and has a torn ACL on his record. Additionally, Michel suffered a knee injury in August that forced him to miss the preseason and the Patriots’ first regular season game, while another knee issue kept him out of Weeks 8-9.
If Michel is forced to miss time during the regular season, New England has enough backfield depth to withstand his absence. James White remains one of the NFL’s best pass-catching running backs, while Rex Burkhead has played well as both a runner and receiver for the Patriots over the past two seasons. New England also deployed a 2019 third-round pick on Alabama’s Damien Harris, re-signed special teams ace Brandon Bolden, and inked undrafted free agent Nick Brossette.
Michel, 24, led the Patriots in rushing attempts (209), rushing yards (931), and rushing touchdowns (six) in his rookie campaign, and ranked 11th league-wide in success rate, meaning he was exceptional at keeping New England’s offense “on schedule” with regard to down and distance. Never much of a pass-game contributor in college, Michel managed only seven receptions in 2019.
Patriots Accuse Texans Of Tampering
On Wednesday, the Patriots filed tampering charges against the Texans for their attempted hire of Nick Caserio as their next GM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The NFL is now expected to gather relevant informant to open its investigation against the Texans.
Soon after the Texans’ surprise firing of GM Brian Gaine, the club was immediately linked to Caserio, the Patriots’ VP of player personnel. Initially, the belief was that the Patriots could not block Gaine from taking the job since it would be a clear elevation in titles and responsibility. But the Patriots, who are intent on keeping Caserio, may have found another way to ward off Houston.
The NFL’s anti-tampering policy states that “any interference by a member club with the employer-employee relationship of another club or any attempt by a club to impermissibly induce a person to seek employment with that club or with the NFL” is impermissible. Reading between the lines, it sounds as though the Patriots believe the Texans engaged in direct talks with Caserio before getting the green light from New England.
The Texans firing of Gaine the night after the Patriots’ ring ceremony set off some alarm bells in New England, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Now, the league office must make a ruling before the Texans proceed with their planned hire of Caserio.
Patriots Want To Keep Nick Caserio
The Texans want to interview Nick Caserio for their GM position, but the Patriots want to keep him, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. For now, things remain in a holding pattern as the Patriots try to figure out how they can hold on to the valuable executive. 
In theory, the Patriots can deny the interview request on the grounds by arguing that the Houston job does not entail sufficient decision-making authority. However, that could be tough to pull off. The Texans seem to want Caserio badly, so one has to imagine that he would wield full authority over all aspects of roster construction. Also, the Texans job would give Caserio the formal GM title, something he lacks in New England.
Bill Belichick has acted as the Patriots’ GM for years, though Caserio holds significant influence in the draft and free agency. Rapoport wonders aloud if this could be a turning point for the Pats in which they give Caserio the official GM title in order to hang on to him.
If the Texans cannot get Caserio in for an interview, Rapoport wouldn’t be surprised if they turn their attention to Monti Ossenfort, who runs college scouting for the Patriots.
Latest On Texans’ GM Search
The Texans have requested permission to interview Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio for their vacant GM job, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports, the team has not requested an interview with New England director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort. Houston was interested in speaking with Caserio and Ossenfort in connection with its GM job last year, but as of right now, the club seems to be focusing its efforts on Caserio.
As we learned yesterday, the Patriots can deny the Texans’ request to interview Caserio (or any other exec) if the Houston job does not entail sufficient decision-making authority. And assuming Caserio is interested enough in the Texans’ gig to have an interview, and assuming New England is intent on keeping its present front office intact, the Patriots could argue that the position would not offer such authority. If there is a disagreement between the two clubs, it would be up to commissioner Roger Goodell or his designee to resolve the matter.
The league could either allow Caserio to leave New England if he so chooses, require him to stay, or compel the Texans to compensate the Patriots in some fashion if they elect to hire Caserio. Presumably, we will have word on the Pats’ decision soon, which will add a great deal of clarity to this situation.
The Texans have already interviewed Ray Farmer and plan to interview Martin Mayhew for the GM position. It is unclear who their fallback plan is if they cannot land Caserio.