If the Houston Texans stayed the course and followed the recommendation of search firm Korn Ferry, they would probably have appointed Pittsburgh Steelers’ vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan as their next general manager, league sources told ESPN.
Khan and ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Louis Riddick were the two finalists before Texans owner Cal McNair changed his mind, ignoring the search firm’s recommendation that he pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to do weeks of work and the former New England appointed Patriots director of player. Nick Nick Caserio, sources said.
Several people in the Texans organization, including fullback Deshaun Watson, were upset about how Houston’s search suddenly and unexpectedly changed and hired a man who did not include Korn Ferry on his candidate list.
Watson is said to be furious about the decision, and others too, and some say there will be employees who will leave the organization during the off-season.
Watson is on vacation and McNair said he expects to speak to the quarterback as soon as he returns. But how it will go, if it happens, remains uncertain. Some people in the league believe Watson could withhold his services this season. Watson has not commented on the option, but others insist it will be in play.
One person who knows Watson said this week that after the Texans traded Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins out of season last year, the quarter’s anger level was a 2. This time it was it’s a 10. ‘ ‘