Jack Easterby was a part of a winning culture with the New England Patriots.
The AFC East club had won three out of four Super Bowl appearances between 2013-18 when Easterby joined the team as a character coach. Easterby was influential behind the scenes to help keep the morale high as New England pursued football immortality.
In 2019, after the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII, Easterby was ready to move on.
Easterby joined the “Jacob and Jacob Podcast” hosted by Jacob Hare and Jacob Erlbaum and talked about how he ended up with the Houston Texans as their vice president of team development.
“My wife and I as we always do try to pray through the different opportunities that we’re given,” Easterby said. “If we have something that we think fits the skill set and just really believed in ownership in Houston, what they’re about, who they are, their passion for the Houston community, their passion to win and to get the football operation up to a championship standard. Really believe in that.”
The McNair family was coming off the death of founder Bob McNair on Nov. 23, 2018. McNair’s widow, Janice, became the owner of the team, but their son, Cal McNair, added another role as the chairman and CEO.
“I was really blessed by those visits and the time they had with the McNairs specifically, and that’s boded true,” said Easterby. “That’s exactly what happened and just got to continue to do the work that it takes to get us there.”
At the end of the 2019 season, coach Bill O’Brien doubled up as the general manager since Brian Gaine was fired on June 7, 2019. Easterby was promoted to his current role, although he served as Houston’s interim general manager from Oct. 5, 2020, to the end of the season after O’Brien was fired following an 0-4 start.
Said Easterby: “Really the people. I come back to the people, Jacob. I appreciate you asking that. I always come back to my feel for people and whether or not the people that you’re with and how you’re navigating things will align with everything that you feel it’s going to take and what you’re about. And we definitely have that here in Houston.”
The Texans have had one winning season since Easterby arrived in 2019. The past two seasons have resulted in double-digit losing campaigns. However, Easterby remains optimistic the Texans are on the right track.
