The Texans have fired coach Lovie Smith after one season, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
The move comes with Houston concluding the 2022 season with a 3-13-1 record, which landed the Texans the No. 2 pick in the draft.
Smith had three seasons left on his contract.
Rumors of Smith’s job security becoming shaky surfaced over the last several days, as Smith reportedly met with owner Cal McNair to plead his case for a second season with the team. Frustrations reportedly mounted in the locker room and front office over certain aspects of Smith’s program.
The Texans’ front office was hopeful that Smith could get more out of the roster in 2022 that was still short of a franchise quarterback. Instead, Houston struggled with consistency on both sides of the ball for most of the season, which culminated in just three wins.
This is the second consecutive season that the Texans have entered the coaching carousel. Houston also fired David Culley last year after he had just one season at the helm, with the Texans going 4–13 under his watch.
Texans GM Nick Caserio has now hired and fired two coaches since being hired in January 2021, and will now presumably be tasked with a third coaching search in as many years.
