Texans Fire GM
In a somewhat surprising move, the Houston Texans announced that they have relieved general manager Brian Gaine of his duties. Gaine, who has served in that role since the beginning of 2018 had recently signed a five-year contract, but the team felt that despite the team’s 11-5 record that a different route was necessary. Chris Olsen, the Senior Vice President of Football Administration, will take over until a permanent GM can be found. While the current roster makes the Texans’ job a rather appealing one, the general manager position in Houston has been somewhat tumultuous over the last several years. Still, with Deshaun Watson established as a franchise quarterback, the incoming general manager will have high hopes moving forward.
One candidate for the position is the New England Patriots’ Vice President of Player Personnel, Nick Casserio. This appears to be a move that New England is not overly thrilled with, though, as they have filed tampering charges against the Texans with the league office believing that the Texans have had direct contact with Casserio prior to getting approval from the Patriots themselves. While it is protocol that a team cannot block an individual from a position of upward mobility with another team, the Patriots are arguing that the way it was handled was against the rules. It is doubtful that these charges could ultimately block the Texans from getting Casserio if he is indeed their man, but it sure makes things a little more interesting. One person the Texans won’t get is…
Joe Douglas Agrees To Become Jets’ General Manager
While there was belief that the Houston Texans could have interest in Joe Douglas as general manager, he is now off the table as he signed a six-year deal to become the new general manager of the New York Jets. Douglas last served as the Philadelphia Eagles’ Vice President of Player Personnel and, prior to that, worked with the Chicago Bears as their College Scouting Director. It was through that position that helped him get the job with the Jets as he worked closely with Jets’ head coach Adam Gase (who was the offensive coordinator of the Bears at the time). While Gase served as the interim general manager of the Jets, he will happily hand over the reins to Douglas moving forward.
Recent Extensions
It is not uncommon this time of year when the dust starts to settle from offseason transactions for teams to negotiate extensions. Sometimes this is because players threaten to hold out from camp, and sometimes it is just the most convenient time to get them done. This year is certainly no different and here are a few of the most recent extensions announced:
Cameron Jordan, the defensive end of the New Orleans Saints, has agreed to a three-year, $52 million extension to go on top of the couple years that he had left. This will keep him under team control through the 2023 season. In 16 games last season, Jordan had 49 tackles (18 for loss), 21 quarterback hits, 12 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. With other players up for extensions as well, the Saints are happy to get Jordan locked up for the near future.
Vikings’ tight-end Kyle Rudolph has also signed an extension. He and Minnesota agreed to a four-year deal worth approximately $36 million. This is basically a win-win for both sides as the guaranteed money covers this season and a bit into next season; however, for the Vikings, beyond that is basically year-to-year. Thus, if Rudolph continues to perform, he will be paid handsomely, but it also reduces the long-term risk for the Vikings. Last season, Rudolph had 64 receptions on 82 targets for 634 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Also, the Indianapolis Colts and cornerback Kenny Moore have agreed to an extension. The extension is a four-year extension, and his extension could be worth up to $36 million with bonuses. Last season, in 15 games, Moore had 3 interceptions, a forced fumble, 1.5 sacks and 77 tackles (4 tackles for loss). This is a handsome payday for a player that was claimed off of waivers just a couple years ago.
Lastly, the Kansas City Chiefs signed kicker Harrison Butker to an extension that will keep him in Kansas City through the 2024 season. Generally, kickers don’t garner a lot of offseason attention (unless you are the Chicago Bears, who still are struggling to find one after the disaster of a postseason with Cody Parkey), but in Kansas City’s high-octane offense, the kicker certainly gets ample work. Due to their proficiency at scoring touchdowns, Butker only had 27 field goal attempts (he made 24), but he converted 65 of 69 extra point attempts, leading the NFL.
Patriots Trade For Tight End
With Rob Gronkowski having retired and tight end Ben Watson set to begin the season suspended for the first four games, the Patriots knew they were in need of some help. As a result, they went out and made a trade with the Detroit Lions to acquire tight end Michael Roberts. The Lions found Roberts to be expendable after they signed Jesse James in free agency and drafted T.J. Hockenson. In 2018, Roberts played in 8 games, pulling in 9 receptions on 20 targets with 3 touchdowns. While Roberts still struggles a bit with blocking, he certainly has the size to be a goal-line threat, and with the Patriots, it would not be shocking to see him develop into just that. In return, the Lions will receive a future late-round draft pick.
