Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio could be hired away from New England this offseason after 20 seasons with the team.
The Houston Texans have requested to interview Caserio for their general manager vacancy, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. The Carolina Panthers also reportedly requested to interview Caserio.
The Texans requested to interview Caserio in 2019, as well, before the Patriots filed tampering charges to block it. Bill O'Brien served as the Texans' general manager until being fired as head coach during the 2020 season. Former Patriots character coach Jack Easterby took over as the Texans' interim general manager.
Caserio has held his current job as the Patriots' director of player personnel, just one slot below head coach Bill Belichick in New England's front-office pecking order, since 2008. He joined the Patriots in 2001 as a personnel assistant and has served as an offensive coaching assistant, area scout, director of pro personnel and wide receivers coach.
If the Patriots were to lose Caserio, assistant director of player personnel Dave Ziegler likely would take his post. Ziegler has risen in the ranks from assistant director of pro personnel, director of pro personnel to his current role.
Eliot Wolf, who served as a Patriots scouting consultant in 2020 after working as assistant general manager with the Cleveland Browns and director of football operations with the Green Bay Packers, also could take on a bigger role.
As far as potential outside hires are concerned, former Patriots director of pro personnel Bob Quinn was fired as the Detroit Lions' general manager this season and has roots in New England after growing up in Norwood, Mass.
