Jonathan Alexander talks about the end of the Texans season
In a somewhat surprising but expected move Friday, the Houston Texans fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik after two seasons as the play-caller.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans took several days to ponder on the decision.
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Ultimately, Ryans decided his defense was prepared to compete against Super Bowl-caliber teams but his offense was not, a person familiar with the decision told the Chronicle.
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And now the Texans will look for another offensive coordinator. The position will likely be a highly coveted job given that the head coach has security and the Texans have a franchise quarterback in C.J. Stroud. There’s also the fact that they’ve been to the playoffs each of the past two seasons.
There are several hot names the Texans could target. Here are some potential candidates:
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Jerod Johnson
Current job: Texans quarterbacks coach
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Analysis: Johnson, a former Humble High School standout, was once thought to be the heir apparent to Slowik after Stroud had arguably the most successful rookie seasons of all-time in 2023, when he finished with the most passing yards per game and the best touchdown to interception ratio.
After interviewing for several offensive coordinator jobs last year, Johnson remained in Houston and signed an extension and received a raise.
But some of that hype wore off a bit after Stroud and the offense struggled in 2024. Stroud finished with 3,727 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and an 87 passer rating, which were all drops from his rookie season.
Not all the blame can be placed on Johnson, who is a possible candidate for the Jets’ offensive coordinator job. While Stroud’s offensive line failed to protect him, his drop in numbers will unfortunately be tied to his position coach.
Before joining the Texans in 2023, Johnson was an assistant quarterbacks coach for the Vikings under Kevin O’Connell, who is thought to be the front-runner for NFL coach of the year. In Minnesota, Johnson had a ton of success.
A source told the Chronicle this offseason that the Texans allowed Johnson to call plays some in the preseason.
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Chip Kelly
Current job: Ohio State offensive coordinator
Analysis: Kelly is the hottest name on the market, coming off a national championship with the Buckeyes last week in his first season in Columbus. Under Kelly, the Buckeyes had the 12th-ranked scoring offense, averaging 35.7 points per game, and beat Notre Dame to win the inaugural 12-team playoff.
Kelly also has NFL experience. He was the Eagles’ head coach from 2013-15, where he coached Ryans for three seasons.
At his introductory press conference, Ryans spoke about what he learned from all his former coaches, including Kelly.
“He was a master motivator, but he was always an innovator,” Ryans said of Kelly in 2023. “Chip Kelly, he was always on the cutting edge. Always looking for ways to get better with sports science, technology.”
So there’s a connection.
Kelly also coached one year in San Francisco before he was fired after a 2-14 season in 2016.
What could keep him away from the Texans are offers to be a head coach, or a chance at back-to-back national titles.
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Mike LaFleur
Current job: Los Angles Rams offensive coordinator
Analysis: LaFleur, 37, is the younger brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur, an offensive guru, and has been the offensive coordinator with the Rams for two seasons.
Why would he change teams? He doesn’t call the plays in Los Angeles. That duty belongs to head coach Sean McVay. LaFleur called plays for two seasons when he was offensive coordinator of the Jets in 2021-22 under Robert Saleh, who is a friend and mentor to Ryans.
McVay is thought to be one of the best offensive minds in the NFL, so having learned under him is a benefit. Though the Rams’ numbers were similar to the Texans in most categories, they were ranked 10th in the NFL in passing yards per game this past season. They averaged 21.6 points per game, which was slightly less than the Texans.
What might keep LaFleur from the Texans is that he runs a similar offense, and is close friends with Slowik.
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Nick Caley
Current job: Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator
Analysis: Caley has been widely talked about in league circles during this hiring cycle. And widely-talked-about names often get first dibs at jobs.
Caley is the tight ends coach and passing game coordinator for the Rams, who had one of the NFL’s best passing attacks. Matt Stafford had a solid season, throwing 20 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.
Caley went to John Carroll University, the same school Texans general manager Nick Caserio attended. He was also an offensive assistant with the Patriots when Caserio was in New England. So he has connections to Houston.
However, several reports indicated Caley was a favorite to be the Jets’ OC under Aaron Glenn.
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Mike McCarthy
Current job: Unemployed. Former Dallas Cowboys coach.
Analysis: McCarthy has little connection to Ryans and the 61-year-old coach, who has plenty of experience, is likely looking for another head coaching job.
He won a Super Bowl with the Packers with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback. And in five seasons with the Cowboys, he was 49-35, which included three 12-win seasons.
Quarterback Dak Prescott enjoyed some of his better seasons under McCarthy. This past season, Prescott got hurt and the Cowboys finished 7-10.
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Josh McCown
Currenty job: Minnesota Vikings quarterback coach
Analysis: McCown, who played in Houston in 2020 before retiring, nearly got the Texans’ head coaching job in 2022 before Caserio pivoted to Lovie Smith.
McCown didn’t have much success as the quarterbacks coach with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. But he was hired to coach quarterbacks with the Vikings under Kevin O’Connell and did a great job with Sam Darnold.
Darnold had the best season of his career and was an MVP candidate after passing for 4,319 yards, 35 TDs, 12 interceptions and a 102.5 passer rating. He helped lead the Vikings to the playoffs and a 14-3 record.
Whether it would work in Houston after what played out three years ago is unclear. But many around the league expect McCown to be a head coach someday, and at the least an offensive coordinator soon.
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Doug Pederson
Current job: Unemployed. Former Jacksonville Jaguars coach.
Analysis: Pederson was recently fired by the Jaguars but he has a ton of experience, including winning a Super Bowl as a head coach with the Eagles in 2017. A former NFL quarterback himself, Pederson was 22-29 in three seasons in Jacksonville, winning the AFC South in 2022 but finishing 3-14 last season.
Pederson and Ryans have expressed their respect for one another competing against each other the past two years.
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Klint Kubiak
Current job: New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator
Analysis: Kubiak, the son of former Texans coach Gary Kubiak, spent one season as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator in 2023. Kubiak was around the Texans when his father was the head coach and Ryans was one of the elder Kubiak’s favorite players.
Klint Kubiak was the offensive coordinator of the Saints this past season, where they had one of the more explosive offenses before injuries derailed things. They finished ranked 21st in total yards (320.1), slightly above the Texans. The Saints ranked 24th in points per game (19.9).
Kubiak is still technically under contract with New Orleans. However, the team is looking for a new head coach.
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Other notable names
• Byron Leftwitch, former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator
• Shane Day, former Texans offensive assistant and now quarterbacks coach for the Chargers
• Tee Martin, Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks’ coach
