The Houston Texans may never find a head coach at this rate.
Last week we were told the finalists were Jonathan Gannon, Josh McCown, and Brian Flores.
Gannon has since been eliminated from the race, seemingly leaving McCown and Flores.
The former has zero head coaching experience, while the latter is in a lawsuit against the NFL.
There would surely be backlash hiring either candidate, so the Texans have reportedly kept the search going.
The #Texans interviewed DC Lovie Smith for their head coaching job earlier tonight, source said. A new candidate enters the mix. Brian Flores also remains a candidate in Houston, as GM Nick Caserio goes through the process.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 7, 2022
Defensive coordinator Lovie Smith got an interview very late in the process.
NFL fans remember Smith for his time coaching the Chicago Bears, and he most recently had a rough stint in college at Illinois before taking the defensive coordinator position in Houston under David Culley.
He now may be a head coach again if the Texans don’t like any of their other options.
A Confusing Hiring Process
We are now very late in the process and the Texans are taking on new candidates.
Flores’ lawsuit could easily be a factor here.
The team could be high on him, only to not want the storylines that currently surround the former head coach.
The same could be true with McCown.
The #Texans completed “additional discussions” with Lovie Smith regarding their head coaching position. A very strong candidate.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 7, 2022
The Texans may not want to face any backlash about hiring a coach without any experience at a time when diversity and merit are at the forefront of the conversation in the NFL.
This process is a mess and hiring Smith could be the safe option for the franchise.
Yet he is already 63 years old, so it could be another temporary hire as with Culley.
The only benefit with Smith is that he has a decade of NFL head coaching experience and a Super Bowl trip under his belt.
If the Texans still don’t go with Smith, this search may never end.
NEXT: Texans Reportedly Have A Notable Finalist For Head Coaching Job