That comment was not meant to put down Easterby, but it does show the mistake McNair made in giving O'Brien so much power: Because O'Brien hired people to work for him and not with him, there was no natural replacement in place on the personnel side when he was fired.Įntering the 2020 season, the Texans' front office was a simple operation: O'Brien was calling the shots with Easterby as his right-hand man. 'Jack's not a personnel person, no,' Belichick said.

In the week leading up to the Texans hosting the Patriots on Sunday, Belichick was asked if he ever thought Easterby would pursue a career on the football personnel side. He is going to be an incredibly valuable part of our franchise moving forward as he works with our next general manager and next head coach.' Jack Easterby has a skill set as a consensus-building leader more than a traditional NFL personnel expert. 'But he will have a significant role in helping shape our future here within the Texans. 'Let me reiterate what I have said before as there seems to be some confusion - Jack will not be our general manager,' McNair said. The Texans face a pivotal offseason, with McNair in charge of hiring a general manager and head coach, and the expectation from McNair is that Easterby will continue to influence the organization in a leadership role, charged with establishing a positive culture within the Texans organization.

It's an unprecedented role for someone who was a team chaplain a decade ago. Now, almost three years after arriving in Houston, Easterby finds himself in charge of football operations after O'Brien was fired in October following an 0-4 start to the 2020 season. It was that impact - and ability to build camaraderie - that Houston Texans chairman/CEO Cal McNair and then-head coach Bill O'Brien wanted to bring to Houston in 2019.

Jack easterby