HOUSTON – Nick Caley is the Texans’ new offensive coordinator, hired after the AFC South champions interviewed eight candidates in a search intended to upgrade the strategy, flexibility, scoring and overall philosophy of a dormant offense.
Like Texans general manager Nick Caserio, Caley is a John Carroll University graduate who previously worked for the New England Patriots where he coached All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski.
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Now, the former Los Angeles Rams’ tight ends coach and passing game coordinator has been hired by Texans coach DeMeco Ryans as the replacement for former offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Caley, 42, is a first-time offensive coordinator and play-caller as Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay calls the plays.
The feedback on Caley, who declined an interview request this year for the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator job and interviewed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after previously declining a $3 million a year offer last year from the Patriots to be their offensive coordinator, is strong, via league sources:
‘Smart guy’
‘Leadership qualities’
‘Really good relationship with Nick Caserio’
“Brings plenty of knowledge, knows how to build game plans from time with Sean McVay. Lots of good ideas’
‘I could definitely see him being an NFL head coach one day’
Caley emerged as the Texans’ choice after a search that included several candidates. The Texans interviewed and gave strong consideration to the candidacy of quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, who also interviewed for the Jets and Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator positions and is being retained after the Caley hire, per league sources.
Caley interviewed for the Texans’ offensive coordinator job two years ago, but Slowik was hired from the same San Francisco 49ers staff that Ryans was a member of as their defensive coordinator.
The Texans also interviewed Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, Washington Commanders assistant head coach/passing game coordinator Brian Johnson, Minnesota Vikings assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski, Texans senior offensive assistant Bill Lazor, Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis and Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon. It was never confirmed if the Texans actually met with Chip Kelly, now the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, with a few sources saying they did speak with him. If the Texans had wanted to hire Kelly, they likely could have gotten that done.
Instead, they have hired Caley to rejuvenate an offense that dipped to 19th in scoring as they averaged 21.9 points per game and 22nd in total offense with an average of 319.7 yards per contest for a team that won its second consecutive division title under Ryans’ leadership.
.#Texans hire new OC Nick Caley. @AaronWilson_NFL joins me to talk about the hire.
— Randy McIlvoy (@KPRC2RandyMc) February 4, 2025
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Having a coach with Caley’s experience working in the creativity of the McVay system, an offshoot of the version of the West Coast offense first popularized by former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh and adopted by Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan, is regarded around the league as a boost for the Texans’ outlook.
There will be familiarity for Stroud, who will speak the same language from a scheme standpoint as Caley. Caley is expected to put his own personal stamp on an offense in need of an overhaul and some new tweaks and wrinkles.
“He’s a special coach,” McVay said of Caley when he was contemplating interviewing for the Jets job he was viewed as a favorite to land if he had pursued the position that went to former Detroit Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand. “He’s done a great job for us. I love everything this guy is about. I think it’s really cool when these guys are offered opportunities to be able to elevate themselves and you want to evaluate all options.”
Source: Texans to interview Rams passing game coordinator-tight ends coach Nick Caley on Thursday
Caley was hired by Ryans with input from Caserio and other key members of the organization, including consulting with players like quarterback C.J. Stroud during the process. Stroud was sacked 52 times to rank second in the NFL as he passed for 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in a drop-off from his NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year numbers of 23 touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Texans’ offense regressed under Slowik, who struggled to make adjustments on the fly when his game plan wasn’t clicking, didn’t adapt the protection schemes to better protect Stroud, who was sacked eight times and hit 14 times overall in an AFC divisional round loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and had lost the confidence of the locker room, including key offensive players as well as now-former colleagues on the coaching staff, according to league sources.
The Rams ranked 10th in passing offense last season as quarterback Matthew Stafford had 3,762 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
During joint practice session in training camp last August with the Rams, Stroud expressed his admiration for McVay and his offense.
“I am a super fan of his,” Stroud said. “The type of scheme he runs, the way he calls it, the way he uses guys in motion, and just a whole bunch of different things. He seems like a good guy and he just had some tips and pointers and also showed me a lot of love which I appreciated.
“I appreciate him more than he knows, just watching film and getting better from the stuff that he does in that offense along with Matt and those guys. It is definitely an honor just to know that he knows me, which is dope.”
Caley is a former Patriots tight ends coach who began his career as a student assistant at John Carroll, Caserio’s alma mater where he was a record-setting quarterback.
There isn’t expected to be a lot of turnover on the Texans’ coaching staff, per league sources.
Texans assistant offensive line coach Cole Popovich is expected to be promoted to head offensive line coach, per a league source.
The Texans are expected to retain Johnson and other staffers from the current staff, including tight ends coach Jake Moreland, running backs coach Danny Barrett and receivers coach and passing game coordinator Ben McDaniels, per sources.
Caley’s first NFL coaching job was with the Patriots as an offensive assistant where he overlapped with Caserio. From that job, he was promoted to tight ends coach and spent one season coaching tight ends and fullbacks. He left New England in 2023 to become the Rams’ tight ends coach.
He was promoted to passing game coordinator before last season by Rams coach Sean McVay, one of the top offensive strategists and play-callers in the NFL.
Caley has previously interviewed for the Patriots’ offensive coordinator position.
He coached Gronkowski in 2017 who was named All-Pro that season. He has also coached Patriots tight end Hunter Henry, who praised Caley for his coaching acumen.
“Caley was one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever had,” Henry told New England reporters. “He’s a tremendous football coach and a tremendous person too. I got two years with him and they were a great two years. He helped me grow in so many aspects of my game.
“How I can see the game, how I can run different routes, do different things in the run game. He was a terrific coach and he’s doing great things over there too. I know he’s been a big asset for them over there. He’s still one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever had.”
Working in the Rams’ system has provided a boost to assistant coaches’ careers.
The latest McVay assistant to become a head coach is Liam Coen, who was the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator this past season.
Caley interviewed virtually for the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator job vacated by Coen, who’s now the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach.
Caley coached for several colleges before joining the Patriots, including Akron, Auburn, Iowa State, Eastern Illinois, Arkansas and Florida Atlantic. At Florida Atlantic, he recruited Texans starting linebacker and team captain Azeez Al-Shaair.
Caley grew up in Canton, Ohio, the same hometown as Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and his brother, Ben McDaniels.
“I think Nick is a great leader,” McVay said last year. “He comes from a great pedigree. You talk about a consistent approach to the core beliefs and the things that are in alignment with winning football games. His ability to communicate, his background and knowledge that he brought from his experiences in New England, but then also his willingness to be able to learn and have a good feel for the landscape of the league.
“I think he sees the game from a big-picture perspective. He coaches the tight ends, but I have an affinity for that because that was my first position job. I think if you do it the way that Nick does it, you can really put yourself in a position to appreciate the nuances of everything that position has asked in terms of playing in line, playing detached from the core, being a part of the run game, being part of protections, being part of the progression in the pass game. He’s done that and he sees the game from an All-22 lens.”
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
