Maybe the Indianapolis Colts could get the quarterback they want in the 2023 NFL draft.
General manager Nick Caserio told “Payne & Pendergast” on Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] April 20 that Houston Texans have no philosophy against trading with other teams in the AFC South.
“We’ll trade with anybody,” Caserio said. “Just philosophically, if it’s the best thing, if it matches up, and you feel comfortable making the trade, then we’ll go ahead and do it.”
Caserio even referenced how good business sense overcame a sense of rivalry even when he was the New England Patriots’ director of player personnel from 2008-20 after having served in a variety of roles since 2001.
“We made some trades in our division even going back when I was in New England,” said Caserio. “So, if you start to take that philosophy, again, it’s a little bit narrow minded, so, again, ultimately, if it’s the best thing for your team, then you’ll deal with whatever comes along with it. So, you can’t eliminate anything, and I would say we’re pretty open-minded organizationally. I don’t want to speak for anybody else, but I’d say we’re definitely open-minded, we’ll always listen. We’re not going to eliminate anything.”
The Colts are quarterback-needy and picking No. 4 overall. So are the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7 overall) and even the Tennessee Titans (No. 11 overall). All these teams would have to do to move ahead of the Colts would be to work out a deal with the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 overall.
Of course, such a trade with Houston and the Colts would only work if the Texans didn’t want a quarterback at No. 2 and were confident the Cardinals weren’t going to take either Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson or Alabama defensive end Will Anderson with their own selection.
Said Caserio: “I think that’s sometimes a narrative that gets painted in whether it’s dealing with teams, dealing with different people, ‘well, they wouldn’t do that because.’ Well, not necessarily, so, when you’re in this league long enough, you’re ultimately going to deal with people all across the way and if it doesn’t work out the way you hoped initially, you’re going to have an interaction with somebody else. So, there’s no ill will. It’s all about business and it’s all about making good decisions.”
In the Caserio era, the closest the Texans have come to working with a divisional foe was in 2021 when Houston traded their 2021 fifth- and seventh-round selections to the Los Angeles Rams for No. 170 overall in Round 6, which at one time was possessed by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
