Texans GM Nick Caserio Talks CJ Stroud, Belichick & More with Rich

Nick Caserio was in the room in 2001 when Tom Brady was the third quarterback on the New England roster. He wants it on the record that he had nothing to do with what happened next.

"I didn't know anything. I still don't know anything, but that was a fun camp," the Texans general manager told Rich. Damon Huard had been signed to be the backup. Brady had a camp good enough to take that job, and then came the Jets game. "So I had nothing to do with it."

What Caserio credits from those years under Bill Belichick is a way of holding two clocks at once. "You're kind of thinking about the present, but by the same token having an eye on the future," he said. That, and steadiness.

"Maintaining a certain level of consistency day to day, not getting too high, not getting too low," Caserio said. "It can be emotional, but to be able to stay right in the middle, that always really struck a chord."

Rich raised the other thing Belichick was known for, saying goodbye to players fans loved while they seemingly had years left. Caserio framed that as a job requirement, not a philosophy.

"It's a people business in the end. So how you treat people, the conversations that you have, the relationships that you develop, that's part of it," he said. "Treat people with respect and dignity and just be honest with them."

Which brings it to CJ Stroud and a contract that has not happened yet. Caserio said discussions with Stroud's representatives have been productive through the spring, and he did not hedge on the player.

"We're glad he's our quarterback," Caserio said. "He had his best offseason. I'd say he's having one of his better training camps as well."

What he would not do is put a date on it. "I don't want to put any timetables or speculate about what may happen, when it might happen." If it does not resolve during camp, it pushes to the offseason or after the season, and the Texans will understand where they stand.

Rich pressed on whether paying Will Anderson at a reported $50 million a year complicated the quarterback math. Caserio rejected the premise. Every negotiation is its own entity, he said, and then offered the line that explains how he operates.

"Our goal isn't to win a negotiation. We're trying to do what we feel is fair and best for the organization."

On why receivers get paid more than running backs, Caserio pointed to cycles rather than logic. Money moves in spurts, gets allocated to one position group for a stretch, then redistributes. Teams are either in a given market or out of it, and if they are out, they need an alternative.

"The players that are receiving these contracts, they deserve the contracts because they're really good players," he said. "The market's the market."

He did concede a stigma exists around running back age, then undercut it with Derrick Henry. "He's worth whatever he's making, they might be worth more. There's a great example of a guy who's going to the Hall of Fame."

Houston's own backfield now has David Montgomery and Woody Marks, both of whom Caserio believes can play all three downs. Marks is an ascending young player. Montgomery was targeted for his professionalism, toughness, and leadership as much as his production.

Tank Dell, meanwhile, practiced. The Texans deliberately kept him off PUP and NFI so he could participate in certain drills, and a ramp-up is underway with a preseason game still an open question. "He's doing as well as he possibly can," Caserio said. "It's really a credit to him."