9:02pm: Right on cue, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle confirms (via Twitter) that Gaine’s new title will indeed be director of player personnel. Gaine receives a new contract and a raise from the Texans, per McClain.
9:00pm: The Texans will give director of pro personnel Brian Gaine a promotion within the team’s front office, according to a report from SportsRadio 610 in Houston (link via CBS Houston). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has since confirmed (via Twitter) that the team is promoting Gaine, with the intention of keeping him from joining the Eagles’ front office.
Gaine had been one of the Eagles’ targets for a general manager type role in Philadelphia, having interviewed with the club earlier this week. Rapoport suggests (via Twitter) that Gaine had already interviewed twice with the Eagles, though the CBS Houston report indicates that the promotion is coming before Gaine can meet with the Eagles for a second time.
Following Philadelphia’s front office shuffle, head coach Chip Kelly has been tasked with bringing aboard an executive for a GM-like position, though the executive wouldn’t have the power of a traditional general manager, since Kelly has the final say on roster decisions for the Eagles. It would still likely represent a promotion for Gaine from his current director of pro personnel role though, so the Texans are giving him a promotion of his own to ensure that he remains in Houston.
It’s not immediately clear what Gaine’s new title will be, though director of player personnel seems like a logical next step. That would be a promotion similar to the one that Eliot Wolf received from the Packers earlier this month. Wolf had been another potential target for Kelly and the Eagles.
Pricks