The Texans were going to hire Josh McCown. They hired Lovie Smith.
The team announced the promotion of the defensive coordinator/associate head coach to replace David Culley.
The Texans also promoted Pep Hamilton to offensive coordinator and retained Frank Ross as special teams coordinator.
“I am excited to introduce Lovie Smith as our next head coach,” Texans General Manager Nick Caserio said in a statement. “He is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL and an established leader. A proven winner, Lovie has shown the ability to develop players both on and off the field for years. We had numerous discussions with countless coaches, executives, and players, and what revealed itself is that Lovie has both the leadership and people skills it takes to lead us forward. We both understand how much work is in front of us, but we embrace the responsibility and look forward to continuing to build a program that can have sustained success.”
The Texans pivoted from McCown after Brian Flores filed his lawsuit against the NFL. Flores and Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon were the other finalists for the job.
Smith, 63, is getting his third chance in the NFL. He went 84-66 in nine seasons with the Bears from 2004-12. The Bears went to the Super Bowl in 2006.
He spent two seasons as the head coach of the Bucs, compiling an 8-24 record.
Smith also served as head coach at Illinois from 2016-20.
“I want to first thank Nick Caserio and the McNair family for giving me this opportunity,” Smith said. “I’m humbled to be the next head coach of the Houston Texans and incredibly excited to continue to work with Nick. I have so many friends, family, teammates and coaches to thank for supporting me and helping me continue to do what I love, which is teaching and developing players. I understand the responsibility I have to this organization and this city to develop a championship-level program. I’m ready to get to work and build it together.”