An upset Nick Caserio could spell trouble for the Patriots

The Houston Texans have ended their pursuit of Nick Caserio, so he is staying with the New England Patriots. This is obviously huge for the team, as Bill Belichick has said many times how important he is to the team. The saga got me thinking about Caserio, though: the job he does in New . England, and how the team might be effected moving forward.

First of all, Caserio has an absolutely terrible contract. It’s wild to think that he can’t even talk to another team, as has been reported. You wonder if he was totally on board with that when he signed his deal. The big question now is whether he’s upset about the situation. If he is pissed that the Patriots wouldn’t let him talk to Houston, and feels kind of trapped, one would assume that would impact his performance.

If he holds Belichick responsible, it could erode the important relationship that they have built over the years. Even if it’s only in the back of his mind, if any part of him was thinking of leaving, that might have an impact on his job. For someone who, other than Bill Belichick, might be the most important staff member on the team, that is not good news. Especially since they already lost a ton of assistant coaches and staff members.

The revelation that the Patriots’ staff members do so much more work than anyone else in the league, mostly because they have so few staff members, surprised me. Obviously, I didn’t doubt how hard they worked, but knowing that they have so many different jobs to do is interesting. Caserio, for instance, is the de facto general manager, but also helps out coaching, and is in Josh McDaniels’ head set on game days. That’s a lot of hats for one guy to wear.

That also means the Patriots seriously rely on his expertise, and him being pissed at the few people above him could spell serious trouble. Or maybe there are others in the organization who are upset at the way the Patriots handled this, and it effects their jobs. The trickle-down effect from this could be endless.

Then again... everything could be totally fine. Maybe Caserio had no interest in going to Houston in the first place, and wants to at least stay through this season until his contract runs out next year. Even if there is some tension, the Patriots have shown the ability, time after time, to put that aside and work together to win football games.

If you need me this summer, I’ll be in the corner telling myself everything will be all right. Hopefully — and if we’re being honest, probably — everything will be just fine, and the Patriots will once again be competing for a championship at the end of the season. That optimism hasn’t failed us yet, partly because of staff members just like Nick Caserio, who go above and beyond for this team.

Pat is a host of The Patriot Nation Podcast

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