Brian

Gaine

The Jets are set to interview a plethora of candidates for their open GM job. That includes Gaine, who has worked in the Buffalo front office since 2019, first as a senior personnel advisor and then as an assistant GM under Brandon Beane. In New York, Gaine would take over a roster in flux and a likely teardown job under whoever the team hires as its next head coach.

Gaine returns to Buffalo after a one-year stint as Houston’s GM. He’s expected to play a role in both pro and college scouting, but this is an obvious step down. Gaine seems unlikely to land another GM job anytime soon.

The former security coordinator lists eight African American employees who were allegedly fired by Gaine as evidence. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is investigating the matter. The Houston Texans said the allegation had zero input into their decision to fire Gaine last week and opted to not comment further.

Gaine lasted just one season into his five-year deal. It’s an unexpected firing, but Gaine hadn’t done much to improve Houston’s roster during his brief time. EVP Chris Olsen will take over football operations in the interim. Finding a replacement for Gaine could be tricky given the presence of Bill O’Brien, who has a history of GM power struggles. Gaine is unlikely to be in the mix for New York’s GM job, but he should resurface in a lesser role.

New general managers like Texans GM Brian Gaine do not want to upheave the scouting department in the lead up to the draft, so they usually leave big changes until after the event. It is somewhat surprising to see Raye, who has earned several interviews for GM jobs, shown the door, but Gaine clearly wants to bring in “his guys.”

Formerly Houston’s director of player personnel, Gaine just joined the Bills from the Texans in May. With Texans GM Rick Smith taking an extended leave of absence, it looks like Gaine could make the reverse trip this year. The Texans are also reportedly interested in Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio.

Gaine was given a five-year deal along with coach Bill O’Brien, a move which both locks the two together and confirms EVP Rick Smith will have a greatly reduced role when he returns from leave. The director of player personnel in Houston before he took a job with the Bills, Gaine was immediately the favorite for the job once the Texans entered the market for a new general manager. Gaine has some holes to fill on both sides of the ball, but he is inheriting a strong roster which should be competitive as long as Deshaun Watson’s health cooperates.

He’s long been the favorite to replace Rick Smith, who is stepping away to care for his ailing wife. Gaine is familiar with the Texans, having spent three years in the organization from 2014-16. Brian Gutekunst was also in the running before the Packers promoted him to GM. The Texans struggled to a 4-12 record this year but should return to relevance quickly with J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watson coming back from injuries.