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The Houston Texans have hired Lovie Smith to be their next head coach, the team confirmed Monday.

The team and Smith finalized contract details during the day, with the Texans also promoting Pep Hamilton to offensive coordinator and retaining special teams coordinator Frank Ross.



“I am excited to introduce Lovie Smith as our next head coach,” said Texans General Manager Nick Caserio. “He is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL and an established leader. A proven winner, Lovie has shown the ability to develop players both on and off the field for years.

“We had numerous discussions with countless coaches, executives, and players, and what revealed itself is that Lovie has both the leadership and people skills it takes to lead us forward. We both understand how much work is in front of us, but we embrace the responsibility and look forward to continuing to build a program that can have sustained success.”

Smith, 63, spent the 2021 season as the Texans’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator under David Culley, who was fired after Houston went 4-13 in his only season.

Wealth Of Experience

The Texans are Smith’s third NFL head coaching job. He has an 89-87 regular-season record, including 81-63 with the Bears from 2004-12, taking the club to Super Bowl XLI. He was 8-24 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014-15.

Smith returned to the college ranks after his departure from the Buccaneers. He was named head coach at the University of Illinois but failed to rejuvenate the long-struggling program and was 17-39 from 2016-20.

The Texans offered Smith an opportunity to return to the NFL as a coordinator in 2021. Houston finished 31st in total defense but showed signs of improvement late in the season.

“I want to first thank Nick Caserio and the McNair family for giving me this opportunity,” said Smith. “I’m humbled to be the next head coach of the Houston Texans and incredibly excited to continue to work with Nick. I have so many friends, family, teammates and coaches to thank for supporting me and helping me continue to do what I love, which is teaching and developing players. I understand the responsibility I have to this organization and this city to develop a championship-level program. I’m ready to get to work and build it together.”

The team chose Smith over Josh McCown, considered a finalist for the job to replace the fired Culley. Brian Flores was also a finalist.

Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who also twice interviewed for the job, was informed over the weekend that he would not be hired.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)