Texans fire coach Lovie Smith after 1 season
The Houston Texans fired head coach Lovie Smith after going 3-13-1 this season, the team announced Sunday.
Smith, who still had three years left on his contract, is the second straight Houston coach to be fired after just one season on the job. Here are the Texans' head coaches in recent years:
| Coach | Record | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Bill O'Brien | 0-4 | 2020 |
| Romeo Crennel* | 4-8 | 2020 |
| David Culley | 4-13 | 2021 |
| Lovie Smith | 3-13-1 | 2022 |
*Crennel served on an interim basis after O'Brien's firing.
The 64-year-old Smith, who was named Coach of the Year in 2005 while on the Chicago Bears, became head coach after serving as the team's defensive coordinator in 2021.
"I appreciate Coach Smith and his entire family for their contributions over the last two seasons," Texans CEO Cal McNair said in a statement. "We are grateful for his leadership and character, and we wish him the best moving forward. While we understand the results have not been what we had hoped for, we are committed to building a program that produces long-term, sustainable success. Our fans and city deserve a team that they can be proud of."
The Texans posted an 11-38-1 record since last winning the AFC South in 2019. Houston won consecutive division titles in 2018 and 2019 and was considered a potential Super Bowl contender while rostering the likes of J.J. Watt, DeAndre Hopkins, and Deshaun Watson. However, the team traded away Hopkins in the 2020 offseason and has since failed to be competitive. Watt left in free agency in 2021, and Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns last March in exchange for a package that includes three first-round picks.
Houston's next head coach will inherit a team with glaring holes on both sides of the ball but with plenty of draft capital and salary cap space. The Texans - who own two top-12 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, including the second overall choice - are currently projected to have $47.7 million in cap space next season, according to Spotrac. The club has 11 total draft picks this year.
The Texans were favorites to pick first overall for most of the 2022 season, but the Chicago Bears - who lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18 to drop to 3-14 - ultimately landed the top selection after Houston defeated the Indianapolis Colts with a last-minute comeback.
"Whenever you play, you play to win the game," Smith said after Sunday's 32-31 win.