The Houston Texans announced Monday that they have “completed additional discussions” with Lovie Smith about their head coaching vacancy.
The team has reportedly moved on from Josh McCown, considered a finalist for the job to replace the fired David Culley. Brian Flores also remains a finalist for the position but has not had recent contact with the club, per reports.
Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who also twice interviewed for the job, was informed over the weekend that he would not be hired.
Smith, 63, spent the 2021 season as the Texans’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator under Culley, who was fired after Houston went 4-13 in his only season.
The Texans would be Smith’s third NFL head coaching job. He has an 89-87 regular-season record, including 81-63 with the Bears from 2004-12, taking the club to Super Bowl XLI. He was 8-24 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014-15.
Smith returned to the college ranks after his departure from the Buccaneers. He was named head coach at the University of Illinois but failed to rejuvenate the long-struggling program and was 17-39 from 2016-20.
The Texans offered Smith an opportunity to return to the NFL as a coordinator in 2021. Houston finished 31st in total defense but showed signs of improvement late in the season, allowing an average of 24 points in the final four weeks after giving up an average of 27.4 points in its first 13 games.
–Field Level Media