Josh McDaniels Not On Texans' List Of Head Coaching Candidates

BOSTON (CBS) -- When the Texans hired Nick Caserio away from the Patriots to be their new general manager, some people assumed that Caserio would immediately work to bring in longtime colleague and former college teammate Josh McDaniels to become Houston's next head coach.

That assumption, though, appears to have been off the mark.

That's because, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans have no plans to interview the Patriots' offensive coordinator for their head coaching vacancy.

That report came after fellow Houston Chronicler John McClain asserted that McDaniels would not become the Texans' next head coach.

The Texans' lack of interest in McDaniels could be twofold. For one, McDaniels is coming off the worst offensive season of his career with New England, as the Patriots ranked 27th in yards, 27th in points scored, 30th in passing yards and 31st in passing touchdowns. Such a dud in the first season post-Tom Brady has McDaniels' stock at an all-time low.

Secondly, despite hiring Caserio, there still may be a push away from continuing the "Patriots South" trend that has functioned in Houston for years. Bill O'Brien certainly wore out his welcome by the end of his tenure, and his trading away of DeAndre Hopkins last year is sure to leave fans wanting little or nothing to do with Bill Belichick disciples for quite some time.

McDaniels, who had an 11-17 record as the head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2009-10, said in December that he "absolutely" wants to be a head coach again. He's been highly sought-after for the past several years, even accepting the head coaching job in Indianapolis in 2018 before backing out at the last minute. This year, though, the 44-year-old has not been connected to any of the six head coaching openings.

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• New England Patriots
• Houston Texans