HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have hired Brian Gaine as general manager and extended the contract of coach Bill O’Brien through 2022.
The team announced the deals Saturday. Gaine signed a five-year contract and O’Brien was extended for four years.
Gaine, a former University of Maine football player, brings 19 years of NFL personnel experience to Houston. He spent the 2017 season as the Buffalo Bills’ vice president of player personnel. He also served as the Texans’ director of player personnel from 2015-16 and director of pro personnel in 2014.
Texans owner Bob McNair calls Gaine an “incredibly smart, hardworking individual that understands the importance of good communication.”
Houston finished 4-12 this season after consecutive AFC South titles the previous two years. O’Brien’s 31 career victories in four years are tied for the most by a coach in franchise history.
Gaine, a tight end, was the Black Bears’ rookie of the year in 1992 and finished an injury-shortened career with 74 catches for 719 yards. He graduated from the University of Maine in 1995 with a degree in public administration.
As an NFL player, he spent a year each on practice squads with the New York Jets and New York Giants, then in 1998 was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs. The next year, he hooked on with the Jets’ scouting department.
Before coming to UMaine, he was a standout tight end at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J.