The Houston Texans are no longer pursuing New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio for their vacant general manager position, the team announced on Friday.
As a result, the Patriots are dropping their tampering charges against the Texans, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
"When we started the process to interview Nick Caserio for our EVP/GM position, we consulted the league office on numerous occasions, followed the procedures outlined in the league's rules, and believed we were in full compliance," Texans CEO Cal McNair said in a statement.
"We have now been made aware of certain terms in Nick's contract with the Patriots," he continued. "Once we were made aware of these contract terms, I informed (Patriots owner Robert) Kraft that we would stop pursuing Nick."
Kraft subsequently released a statement commending the Texans' handling of the situation.
The Patriots reportedly filed tampering charges against the Texans on Wednesday after Houston's executive vice president of team development Jack Easterby, a former Patriots employee, attended the Pats' Super Bowl ring unveiling party on June 6. Houston fired its former general manager Brian Gaine the next day.
The Texans could move ahead with Easterby and head coach Bill O'Brien handling the general manager duties for the 2019 season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Caserio's contract with the Patriots expires after the 2020 draft, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
