Patriots Rumors: Robert Kraft Eyeing Familiar Face For Next GM

It feels inevitable that Bill Belichick, at the very least, will lose his general manager duties during the offseason. Of course, he could be removed as head coach, too.

Who, then, could assume the role of the top personnel decision-maker in New England?

Perhaps it would be Matt Groh, who currently is the Patriots' director of player personnel. Or maybe the franchise could turn toward another internal candidate, like director of scouting Eliot Wolf. There also are some rising stars around the NFL whom Robert Kraft could recruit.

However, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe: Kraft has his sights set on a familiar face: Nick Caserio.

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Currently, general manager of the Houston Texans, Caserio worked for the Patriots in a variety of roles from 2001 through 2020, including the last 13 as the personnel chief. He's Kraft's "home run" choice for the next GM, according to Volin -- who added Mike Vrabel is the top pick for next head coach -- but the Texans' relative success this season could complicate things.

"Both sources also said the same thing: The Krafts' home run hires for 2024 would include not only Vrabel but bringing Nick Caserio back to run the front office," Volin wrote.

"It looked possible before this season that Caserio might be fired by Houston after two bad seasons. But the Texans are 3-4 and finally going in a positive direction under new coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, so it seems much less likely that Caserio would be let go. A trade for Caserio can't be ruled out, but I doubt the Patriots would want to give up draft picks, especially if they are also doing so for Vrabel.

"However, Ryans has the juice inside the building in Houston. If for some reason he decides that he wants his own hand-picked GM, Caserio could shake free for the Patriots."

Ultimately, we still have no idea of what Kraft will do if New England fails to turn things around after its 2-6 start.

The Patriots owner hasn't commented publicly on Belichick and/or Groh's job statuses since the start of the season, and there really is no precedent for how he could react with his franchise staring at a rebuild. All options could be on the table.

But bringing Caserio back into the fold would make sense on multiple levels -- if the Texans allow him to leave.