(Houston) The Houston Texans have fired head coach David Culley after just one season at the helm of the team, according to a source familiar with the decision.
Posted at 6:49 p.m.
That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the decision had not yet been announced.
The firing comes days after the Texans finished the season with a 4-13 record, following a 28-25 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
On Monday, Culley said he expected to be back, but it appears that general manager Nick Caserio had not yet completed his assessment of Culley before making the decision on Thursday to move forward with a change.
The 66-year-old Culley was hired last January to replace Bill O’Brien after spending 43 years in assistant roles at college and in the NFL. In Houston, he took the reins of a team that finished the 2020 season with a 4-12 record with Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
The latter asked to be traded around the time Culley was hired, and before 22 women filed lawsuits against Watson alleging harassment or sexual assault.
Those issues kept Watson out of 2021 and precipitated the Texans’ rebuild, leaving Culley in charge of one of the NFL’s worst teams.
The Texans also fired offensive coordinator Tim Kelly on Thursday, according to the same source that confirmed Culley’s firing.
Kelly had been with the Texans organization since 2014. He had held various positions, including offensive coordinator since 2019.