Lovie Smith stepped into a tough situation in Houston, signing a four-year deal to take over as head coach after the organization decided to move on from David Culley after one season.
Well, after a 3-13-1 finish, Lovie Smith will not get a second season in Houston.
The organization announced their decision to part ways with Smith late Sunday night.
The decision comes after a game tonight where the Texans scored with :50 seconds left on a desperate 4th and 20 Hail Mary, and then went for two and the win and succeeded, ultimately costing them the top pick in the NFL Draft.
The former head coach at Illinois and with the Chicago Bears, the Texans handed the head coaching job to Lovie after one season as the Texans associate head coach / defensive coordinator under Culley, only to ultimately dismiss him after one season leading the team.
Yesterday, multiple reports shared that either Lovie Smith or GM Nick Caserio would not be retained heading into 2023. Turns out, Lovie was the first casualty, and time will tell if Caserio gets another season.
The new head coach of the Texans will inherit a young team without a franchise quarterback, but will get two-first round draft picks, as well as an additional 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick from the trade of Deshaun Watson. They will pick #2 overall this upcoming draft and can target a franchise quarterback.
Who will want to take over a significant rebuild after the organization has decided to give back-to-back minority head coaches just one season remains to be seen.
A year ago, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans both interviewed for the job, and Houston is expected to take a long look at offensive minded head coaches as well as they look to build the organization back up behind a quarterback.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.