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Rick Smith

Texans Prepared To End “Toxic” Bill O’Brien-Rick Smith Relationship?

December 29th, 2017 at 2:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Much has emerged about the less-than-ideal relationship between Bill O’Brien and Rick Smith in Houston, but the Texans may be ready to make a choice at soon.

Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports the franchise has a troublesome situation on its hands regarding the GM/HC relationship. One source told the Texans reporter it’s become a “toxic” and “dysfunctional” relationship.

O’Brien said recently he would not quit on the Texans, and his contract runs through 2018. However, sources who spoke to Wilson about the Texans’ setup said owner Bob McNair waiting until O’Brien’s contract expires to make a change could create a “difficult work environment.”

The Ringer’s Michael Lombardi took this a step further by indicating (via Twitter) the league perception is Smith will be prioritized over O’Brien. Wilson and Lombardi note McNair and Smith have a close relationship. The GM’s served in this capacity since 2006. One source who spoke to Wilson said the pair could potentially make this work, but that seems to be the dissenting opinion amid this turmoil. Smith is under contract through 2020.

O’Brien was rumored to be possibly on his way out after last season, despite the Texans’ second straight AFC South title, but he was retained. Should O’Brien be shown the door in Houston, he’d likely be a coveted commodity on what could be a wild coaching market given how many vacancies could emerge after Week 17. He led the Texans to two straight playoff brackets despite the franchise continually misfiring at quarterback prior to landing Deshaun Watson — a Smith-preferred acquisition.

Minor NFC Transactions: 5/15/17

May 15th, 2017 at 5:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we rounded up some minor moves out of the AFC. In the interest of equal time, we turn our attention to the NFC:

  • The Rams signed two Northwestern State alums in wide receiver Shakeir Ryan and running back De’Mard Llorens, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. In addition to the skill-position talents from the Natchitoches, Louisiana-based program, the Rams added another small-school product in Mary Hardin-Baylor linebacker Teidrick Smith. The two Division I-FCS talents and Division III defender will displace two Rams in defensive back Jared Collins and offensive lineman Shaq McMeans, per Gonzalez. Their roster currently houses 89 players.
  • Former Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas signed with the Saints, who also added guard Josh LeRibeus and running back Trey Edmunds, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports. The 5-foot-11 Thomas operated as a dual-threat quarterback with the Yellowjackets and probably would convert positions for an NFL opportunity. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore in the program’s run-centric offense and threw for 18 touchdown passes that season. In the two subsequent slates, Thomas combined to throw 21 TDs. The son of former Dolphins Pro Bowl tight end Ferrell Edmunds, Trey Edmunds served as a reserve at Virginia Tech and Maryland.
  • On a busy Monday, the Saints signed Drew Iddings, a source tells Underhill (on Twitter). Iddings, a former defensive lineman, will be trying to stick as an offensive guard. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound athlete has no significant experience on offense, but New Orleans believes that the powerful lineman can make a smooth transition. In college at South Dakota, Iddings appeared in 46 games and totaled 149 tackles and eight sacks.
  • The Seahawks cut quarterback Skyler Howard and fullback Brandon Cottom and signed fullback Kyle Coleman and wide receiver Speedy Noil, per a team announcement. Noil entered the draft early out of Texas A&M. He caught just 42 passes combined the past two seasons.
  • Giants signed wide receiver Kevin Snead, a Carson-Newman product, after his tryout. Snead, a former track star, reportedly ran a sub-4.3-second 40-yard-dash. To make room, the team waived offensive lineman Martin Wallace.
  • The Lions have signed free agent offensive tackle Arturo Uzdavinis and waived tackle Pierce Burton.
  • The Vikings signed guard Freddie Tagaloa after a successful rookie minicamp tryout, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Cardinals signed wide receiver Larry Clark.

Texans Notes: Novak, Hopkins, Bouye

February 4th, 2017 at 11:05am CST by Ben Levine

Nick Novak had a career-year in 2016, and some members of the Texans organization believe he played a major role in the team clinching a playoff birth.

The 35-year-old played last season on a one-year, $965K contract, and the impending free agent would like to return to Houston for the 2017 campaign.

“I want to be back,” Novak told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I’m really proud of what we’ve done and I’m excited to be back with the same guys. I really feel like I can help the Texans get to where they want to go. I leave it up to my agent and the personnel department to get a deal done.

“I don’t know what kind of progress is being made, but it’s all positive. I’ve heard some really good things from [general manager] Rick Smith, [coach] Bill O’Brien, [special teams coordinator] Larry Izzo. We’ll see what happens.”

Let’s check out some more notes coming out of Houston…

  • The Texans passing offense was among the worst in the league this past season, and Smith understands that the team needs more out of the quarterback position if they want to contend. “We’ve got to get better production from the quarterback position,” Smith told Wilson. “We’ve got to get better production from all across our football team. We’ve got to do a good job of analyzing our football team, and that’s what we’re doing now, trying to figure out where we’re strong, where we’re weak and how we can go about improving.” Of course, Smith did note that he still believes in starter Brock Osweiler, who is owed $16MM next season. Reports from earlier this week indicated that the organization would likely take a quarterback in the upcoming draft.
  • Despite having one of the worse seasons of his career, wideout DeAndre Hopkins is still to eager to stick around Houston. “I love this organization and what this team is doing,” Hopkins told Wilson. “It seems like we’re getting better and better every year, so why not?” We learned earlier this week that the Texans would like to extend Hopkins, who finished last season with 78 receptions for 954 yards and four touchdowns.
  • A.J. Bouye is in line for a well-deserved payday, writes Wilson. Instead of taking a less-lucrative, multi-year offer last offseason, the cornerback decided to opt for a one-year, $1.6MM contract with the Texans. The 25-year-old clearly made the right decision, as he’s projected to be the best free agent defensive back. Wilson expects that the Texans will have around $25MM in cap space, and he projects Bouye to receive an offer that pays around $13MM annually.

AFC Rumors: Hopkins, Chiefs, Ragland

August 6th, 2016 at 9:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

DeAndre Hopkins displayed his apparent dissatisfaction with the Texans known last week by staging a brief holdout, but the team is not discussing a new contract with the talented wideout. Rick Smith said, via James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link), no negotiations between Houston and Hopkins are transpiring right now.

The 24-year-old wideout, who is coming off back-to-back 1,200-plus-yard seasons, said on an NFL Network interview (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, on Twitter) he’s not stewing over his contract situation. “It’s not something I sit here and think about. … What goes on off the field works itself out,” Hopkins said during the interview.

Owner Bob McNair said previously that the fourth-year receiver’s contract was going to come up in due time. Hopkins is set to make $1.5MM this season. Houston exercised Hopkins’ fifth-year option, putting him on their 2017 books for $7.915MM. As of now, that figure would rank 20th among wideouts in terms of ’17 earnings.

Regarding Hopkins’ situation, which isn’t unique in today’s NFL, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes the 2011 CBA overcorrected the previous problem of underperforming rookies anchoring payrolls. In allowing teams to wait a minimum of three seasons before giving deserving rookies raises, Florio notes the league not instituting a device that would ensure non-busts received their due earnings penalizes the players who do reward teams by outperforming their contracts.

Here’s more from the AFC on preseason eve.

  • Clark Hunt told media (including Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star) Eric Fisher‘s contract negotiations spanned barely two weeks in late July leading up to training camp. The Chiefs signed the scrutinized left tackle to a four-year, $48MM extension.
  • Hunt envisions the Chiefs revisiting Eric Berry‘s contract after the season. The franchise’s chairman echoed the reports that said the Chiefs and the All-Pro safety were too far apart on terms by July 15. “As soon as we have an opportunity next year, we’ll sit down with his representatives and see if we can work out a scenario where he could finish his career here. … We couldn’t close the gap this year, but next year’s a different situation,” Hunt said. “I can’t say that there will be anything fundamentally that happens that would make it possible, but it’s certainly something that we’ll talk about.” Berry will make $10.86MM this year as part of the franchise tag, one the 27-year-old talent has not signed and is not expected to for a while.
  • As he said in an interview with PFR’s Zach Links, ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher does not foresee Berry being in the Chiefs’ long-term plans. The ESPN.com writer noted that simply a year passing and the sides being back at the negotiating table doesn’t mean either will compromise. Berry stands to be one of the most pursued free agents after this season, should the seventh-year safety reach the open market for the first time. The Chiefs are projected to possess just $6.7MM in cap space in ’17, and Dontari Poe will also be a free agent.
  • The Bills will work out free agent linebackers on Sunday after Rex Ryan backtracked on his statement saying Reggie Ragland likely avoided ligament damage after suffering a knee injury Friday, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports. Ryan said the team is “definitely concerned” about Ragland’s knee, via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (on Twitter). Buffalo’s second-round pick sustained the injury in a non-contact situation. The team is already expected to be without first-round pick Shaq Lawson for multiple games.
  • The Steelers are involved in multiple contract negotiations, with David DeCastro joining Antonio Brown as players with whom management is discussing deals.

Texans Extend GM Rick Smith

July 29th, 2016 at 4:43pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Texans have announced a four-year contract extension for executive vice president and general manager Rick Smith. Financial terms are not yet available, but the deal is set to keep Smith in Houston through the 2020 season.

“Rick is an important part of our organization. We really think that we’ve got all of the pieces together and we want to keep them that way,” Texans owner Bob McNair said in a statement. “So one of the things that we needed to do was to go ahead and extend Rick, and that’s what we’ve done.”

Bill O'Brien

Smith is just the second GM in Texans history since their inception in 1999, having taken the reins from Charley Casserly in June 2006. Smith, who previously served as Denver’s director of pro personnel, has since overseen seven teams that have gone .500 or better. Three, including last year’s AFC South-winning club, have made the playoffs.

Under Smith, the Texans have drafted such notable NFLers as left tackle Duane Brown (first round, 2008); linebacker Brian Cushing (first round, 2009); linebacker Connor Barwin (second round, 2009); safety Glover Quin (fourth round, 2009); cornerback Kareem Jackson (first round, 2010); defensive end J.J. Watt (first round, 2011); linebacker Whitney Mercilus (first round, 2012); guard Brandon Brooks (third round, 2012); receiver DeAndre Hopkins (first round, 2013) and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (first round, 2014), among several others.

Watt, who has already won the Defensive Player of the Year Award three times, and Hopkins stand out as the top picks of Smith’s reign. Both are bona fide superstars who have been hugely instrumental in the Texans’ recent success. The jury is out on Clowney, who went No. 1 overall and has only shown flashes of his high-end potential in two seasons.

Joining Watt, Hopkins, Clowney and the rest of the Texans this year as they look to improve on back-to-back nine-win campaigns will be high-profile offseason acquisitions Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller – both of whom Smith signed to significant contracts in free agency.

Smith hopes the big, cannon-armed Osweiler, Peyton Manning‘s former backup in Denver, will give the Texans their best production at quarterback since an in-his-prime Matt Schaub – whom Smith acquired from Atlanta in 2007 for two second-round picks. The Texans rolled the dice on Osweiler when they signed him to a four-year, $72MM deal that features $37MM in guarantees during the winter.

Miller, to whom the Texans handed a four-year, $26MM deal ($14MM guaranteed), is coming off two terrific seasons in a row with Miami and will take over for four-time Pro Bowler Arian Foster. The Texans released Foster after injuries to his groin and Achilles tendon cost him most of last season, but as an undrafted free agent in 2009, he’ll clearly go down as one of the premier pickups during Smith’s tenure.

Notably, Smith’s one head coaching hire – Bill O’Brien – has produced positive results, having led the Texans to an 18-14 record. With a roster that Smith has helped put in place, O’Brien will try to hit the double-digit-win mark this year and guide the Texans to another division crown.

Mark Berman of FOX 26 first reported the agreement. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Rumors: Texans, Jets, Fitzpatrick

March 22nd, 2016 at 9:22am CST by Zachary Links

On Monday, Texans owner Bob McNair said that fates of head coach Bill O’Brien and GM Rick Smith are not tied to the success or failure of new quarterback Brock Osweiler, as Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com tweets. Earlier this month, Osweiler agreed to leave the Broncos for a four-year, $72MM contract with Houston. Osweiler was rated as PFR’s No. 1 free agent quarterback for the 2016 offseason. Overall, we slated Osweiler as the third-best free agent available, behind defensive linemen Olivier Vernon and Malik Jackson.

Here’s more out of the AFC:

  • Head coach Todd Bowles says the Jets have discussed an internal deadline to get an answer from Ryan Fitzpatrick but “right now, we’re not close to that,” (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports).
  • The Jets do have contingency plans if Fitzpatrick goes elsewhere, Bowles says. “You better have a Plan A, B, and C,” he said (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
  • Bowles said Geno Smith “matured a lot last year,” adding “he’s one of the options if Fitz doesn’t sign back,” (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com).
  • When asked about D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Bowles said, “Right now, he’s on our team,” (Twitter link via Cimini). The offensive lineman had an up-and-down year in 2015, so Bowles is understandably non-committal when it comes to him.
  • Jaguars coach Gus Bradley says the franchise has a five-year plan to construct a team with proper salary-cap management so they can afford their younger players’ second contracts (Twitter link via Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com).
  • Colts coach Chuck Pagano admitted that there is some concern regarding the team’s depth at wide receiver (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of Indy Star). Right now, T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Phillip Dorsett are the team’s unquestioned top three receivers.

AFC South Notes: Texans, Grigson, Titans

January 1st, 2016 at 6:43pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look around the AFC South:

  • Rick Smith has been the Texans’ general manager since 2006, but his role might change sometime during the offseason – perhaps after the draft – tweets Neil Stratton of Inside the League. According to Stratton, Smith could get a promotion (possibly to team president), thus elevating director of player personnel Brian Gaine to GM.
  • Speaking of AFC South GMs, Mike Wells of ESPN.com took a look at whether Ryan Grigson deserves to continue running the Colts. The reasons to fire Grigson exist in greater quantity than the ones to keep him, Wells writes. One excuse to let Grigson go: a 2013 trade that went horribly awry. Back then, Grigson sent a 2014 first-rounder to Cleveland for running back Trent Richardson, who spent two unproductive seasons in Indy and is now out of the NFL. Further, the imperious Grigson has meddled in the affairs of head coach Chuck Pagano – who’s also a candidate for the chopping block.
  • Titans interim head coach Mike Mularkey has a supporter in tight end Delanie Walker, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link). Walker, who easily leads the Titans in receptions (85), yards (994) and touchdowns (six), thinks Mularkey is capable of fixing the team’s problems if he is promoted to the full-time head coaching role. That seems unlikely, however, especially given Mularkey’s lack of results as a head coach. He’s just 18-37 in three-plus seasons with the Bills, Jaguars and Titans.
  • If the Titans do move on from Mularkey, Bob Brookover of Philly.com offers his version of the perfect replacement: erstwhile Eagles coach Chip Kelly. Of course, Kelly and Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota were together previously at Oregon and helped the Ducks to a 12-1 record and second overall ranking in 2012. Brookover thinks a Kelly-Mariota reunion should be too enticing for Tennesee to let go by the wayside.

South Notes: Saints, Pagano, White, Texans

December 30th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite plenty of speculation that 2015 could be Drew Brees‘ and/or Sean Payton‘s last year in New Orleans, the Saints quarterback says that he’s not going anywhere and neither is his head coach.

“I think we — a plan was put in place throughout last offseason as to how we were going to build a foundation by which to make a run at it in the future. That includes some new faces, that includes some young players that, I think, will all have a chance to come together and kind of build a team that can make a run at it in the future,” Brees told NFL Network. “Unfortunately, we had high expectations going into this year and we fell a bit short. But I’m confident with the character, the leadership, the talent we have.”

Brees’ and Payton’s futures in New Orleans are a little less certain than the former Super Bowl MVP suggests, but one player who isn’t going anywhere is left tackle Terron Armstead. Payton said this week that he wouldn’t trade Armstead for any other left tackle in the league, and the third-year lineman looks entrenched as one of the Saints’ building blocks, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.

Let’s check in on some more items from across the NFL’s South divisions….

  • Bob Kravitz of WTHR.com (Twitter link) isn’t so sure that Chuck Pagano would want to remain with the Colts even if the team decides it wants to keep him, but Pagano told reporters today, including Mike Chappell of Fox59 (Twitter link), that he plans to fight to keep his job.
  • One Pro Bowl receiver – Steve Smith – announced today that he’s postponing retirement and will return in 2016, and another veteran wideout – Roddy White of the Falcons – has a similar plan. As D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes, White has been somewhat frustrated with his role this season in Atlanta, but says he plans on being a Falcon “forever” and wants to play a couple more years.
  • Several GM jobs could open up next week, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Among the interesting upcoming decisions is one the Texans may have to make, with Florio forecasting that either GM Rick Smith or head coach Bill O’Brien will see an increase in power at this season’s conclusion.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Bowe, Texans, O’Brien

December 15th, 2015 at 10:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Browns wide receiver Dwayne Bowe spoke to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer about the hardships he has dealt with this season and what has gone wrong for him. This past offseason, Bowe inked a two-year deal worth $12.5MM, including $9MM guaranteed. So far, he hasn’t done much to justify that contract. He surmised that he was never able to learn the new scheme installed by offensive coordinator John DeFilippo thanks to an injury during training camp.

“When I got hurt, it set me back as far as the coach getting to know what I can do and things like that,” he said. “I just got so far behind in the playbook and they added most of the main content when I was out. When I was got back, they were so far ahead, and to go back for me would’ve set the whole offense back.”

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • Texans owner Bob McNair says he has no current plans to make any significant changes to team’s GM or head coach roles after this season, Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle tweets. “Does he make mistakes? Sure,” McNair said of head coach Bill O’Brien (link). “But most of his mistakes haven’t been that great and he’s been able to overcome them.” When asked if the franchise must invest in a quarterback this offseason via the draft, McNair said (link), “Absolutely. Yes. The answer is yes.”
  • James Harrison, William Gay, DeAngelo Williams, and Heath Miller are all on the wrong side of 30 but they’re all providing value to the Steelers, as The Associated Press writes.
  • German Football League MVP Tyler Davis is trying out for the Dolphins on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Davis plays both wide receiver and defensive back, so it’s not immediately clear whether he’ll be showing his skills on offense, defense, or both in Miami.

La Canfora’s Latest: Colts, Texans, Trades

November 1st, 2015 at 9:02am CST by Sam Robinson

With 2015 shaping up to be Chuck Pagano‘s last in Indianapolis, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes, the Miami Hurricanes job could be in play for the fourth-year coach.

The rest of the Colts‘ staffers are set for an uncertain future, with Jim Irsay considering changes after the thus-far-underwhelming team’s Week 10 bye.

Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton‘s job is on the line. Pagano, per La Canfora, wanted associate head coach Rob Chudzinski to run the offense, and longtime organizational staffer Clyde Christensen also looms as an OC candidate in the event Pagano’s preferences are no longer relevant.

Pagano’s Miami connection stems from being the Hurricanes’ secondary coach from 1995-2000.

Irsay hopes to lure a top head-coaching candidate to Indianapolis next year, and that would mean GM Ryan Grigson would almost certainly be shown the door, the CBS reporter notes.

Here are some additional notes from La Canfora on Week 8 Sunday.

  • The schism that formed in Houston recently between Bill O’Brien and GM Rick Smith regarding now-ex-Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett will lead to a change in the organization’s power structure, La Canfora reports. The ninth-year GM could see a reassignment if O’Brien is to assume more control, as he’s used to the head coach having from his years with the Patriots. The present setup involves both O’Brien and Smith reporting to owner Bob McNair separately, and McNair doesn’t see that as a sustainable model in light of the Mallett incident. It’s caused a divide within the organization, sources told La Canfora. “It’s gone from a slow drip to a waterfall,” a team source told the CBS scribe, describing the rift that’s become off-putting for McNair.
  • Matt Forte and Brian Cushing are available for trades, La Canfora notes, mentioning the Bears, Texans and 49ers as the teams most likely to operate as sellers in advance of the Nov. 3 trade deadline. The 49ers have also entertained teams’ interest on offensive lineman Alex Boone and have fielded calls on Vernon Davis. The Seahawks are a team that is willing to trade a depth piece to acquire an offensive lineman to help fix their biggest issue, La Canfora reports. The Ravens and Chargers, despite carrying 11 losses between them, are viewed as being more hesitant to sell off veterans.
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