After yet another underwhelming season, the Houston Texans have decided to fire head coach Lovie Smith. Smith spent the 2022 season as Houston’s head coach but served as defensive coordinator and associate head coach in 2021.
The #Texans have fired coach Lovie Smith, per me and @MikeGarafolo. Another one-and-done in Houston. pic.twitter.com/1Ld7PxCGUq
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2023
Houston Texans Fire Lovie Smith After One Season
Smith originally joined the Houston Texans organization prior to the 2021 season. Hired to serve as defensive coordinator for then-head coach David Culley, Smith faced the unenviable task of trying to get something out of one of the least talented rosters in football. The 2021 Texans finished the season with a 4-13 record, while the defense allowed 26.6 points per game. Following the campaign, Houston fired Culley and promoted Smith to head coach. The move didn’t work out. The Texans took a step back, and while they showed some signs of life later in the season, it wasn’t enough to save Smith’s job.
This was far from Smith’s first chance as a head coach in the NFL. Originally hired by the Chicago Bears back in 2004, Smith helped guide Chicago to one of their more successful runs in recent memory. After a 5-11 record during his first year at the helm, Smith guided the team to an 11-5 record in 2005 and a 13-3 record in 2006. Chicago won the NFC North both years and made it all the way to the Super Bowl in 2006. Despite that hot start, Lovie Smith was unable to replicate that success later in his career. The Bears only made one more playoff appearance under Lovie Smith (2010), and the team eventually decided to part ways with the defensive-minded head coach after the 2012 campaign.
After spending the 2013 season away from football, Smith returned to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014 and 2015. Unfortunately, his tenure did not go well, as the Buccaneers went a combined 8-24 in Smith’s two seasons. From there, Smith took a job in the college ranks as the head coach of the Illinois Fighting Irish. Smith spent five seasons with Illinois, leading the team to a 17-39 record.
