Texans Finalize Deal to Make Lovie Smith New Head Coach

HOUSTON, TX- The Houston Texans are finalizing a deal to make Lovie Smith their new head coach.

Smith was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under David Culley last year in Houston. Before being hired in that position with the Texans, Smith was at the college level serving as the University of Illinois head coach.

This will be Smith’s third stint as a head coach. From 2004 to 2012, Smith was the head coach of the Chicago Bears and from 2014-2015 was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Smith did take the Bears to the Super Bowl where they lost to Tony Dungy, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. His first season with the Bears were underwhelming, going 5-11 but turned it around the next season and when 11-5 and won the NFC North. The 2006 season, Smith and the Bears went 13-3, won the NFC North, and got to the Super Bowl.

During his two seasons with the Buccaneers, Smith went 8-24 overall and finished last in the division both times.

Since his time with Chicago, Smith has been a head coach in some capacity every year if you include last year as the assistant head coach of the Texans.

Lovie Smith will have to deal with the Deshaun Watson situation. In 2021, Watson was accused of sexual assault/harassment by around 20 women. The Texans were awful in just about every category last season finishing last in the NFL in offense and defense.

Lovie Smith would be the second minority head coaching hire this offseason after the Miami Dolphins hired Mike McDaniels over the weekend.