INDIANAPOLIS | At the end of the season, Antony Auclair had mentioned his wish to continue the adventure with the Houston Texans. Present at the Combine of the NFL in Indianapolis, the team’s general manager, Nick Caserio, was quick to praise the services of the Beauceron tight end.
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After his official press briefing in front of an imposing pack of journalists, Caserio agreed to speak with the representative of the Newspaper about the former Rouge et Or.
The NFL Combine is the time of year when more than 300 of the country’s top draft prospects gather in Indianapolis for a host of physical exams, interviews and evaluations. medical. The leaders of the vast majority of the teams are also on site, which makes it possible to take stock of the current affairs of each team.
Auclair signed with the Texans last year after four seasons with the Buccaneers. His one-year contract expires on March 16 and he will become a free agent if there is no agreement by then, but the two clans are already in preliminary talks.
“He is one of those with whom the dialogue is already open,” confirmed Caserio.
“We’ll see how things go, but I certainly hope that Antony will be back, because he brings great added value to our program.”
Appreciated assets
Caserio was not born yesterday. Before being named general manager of the Texans last year, he spent the previous 20 years with the New England Patriots organization.
So he was in the school of Bill Belichick, where it is customary to say as little as possible about team business and the players involved in different discussions. In the case of Auclair, Caserio was however very voluble.
“He did a great job for us. We knew his experience in Tampa. Even if he played less than other players, we had all the evidence on video to understand that he could be beneficial for our team.
“We knew we were going to live a year of transition, but he forged a role both in attack and on special teams. Antony is a brilliant player who you can count on,” he said.
A team player
Last season, Auclair played in 16 of his team’s 17 games, a personal mark. He also participated in 32% of the Texans’ offensive plays, another mark. Not to mention that he scored his first career touchdown.
“We appreciate his versatility, his intelligence, his robustness and the fact that he enjoyed his role. He always puts the team ahead of his interests. He trusted the coaches and the coaches trusted him back. This is the type of player we want in our building to increase our chances of success,” praised Caserio.
Auclair’s agent, Sasha Ghavami, also confirmed that initial negotiations for a return to Houston had begun.
“I will not comment on the state of the discussions, but it is certain that we will speak again. It’s nice to know that Texans give such glowing comments. Antony had a great season and he made his mark,” he said.