Back with Texans after head coaching interviews, Bobby Slowik ‘can’t even begin to describe my excitement for staying’

HOUSTON – As Bobby Slowik interviewed with five NFL teams for head-coaching positions during the latest hiring cycle, the Texans’ highly regarded offensive coordinator kept thinking about his growth as a coach and his ideal situation in Houston.

Slowik was the architect of a high-octane offense headlined by Pro Bowl quarterback and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year selection C.J. Stroud. And, now, he’s back for his second season running an offense that includes Stroud, wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell, tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Joe Mixon.

After Slowik interviewed with the Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons,, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers, he reached a deal to remain with the Texans. He agreed to an upgraded contract with a much higher salary, per a league source, an augmented deal supported by the McNair family, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio.

“I am extremely grateful to the McNair’s, to Nick,” Slowik said. “I know I have said it in the past but I can’t say it enough about DeMeco as a coach and as a person, what all they have meant to me and how great they have been through everything. I have been blessed that the players we have are just a really enjoyable group, as players and as people.

“I have had a lot of fun and I am fired up to do it again this year. I was blessed last year to have the opportunity to have a few head coaching interviews and go through that process and see what that is like, but I can’t even begin to describe my excitement for staying in Houston and getting back at it and going out and really building on what we did last year.”

Slowik is expected to be one of the leading candidates for head coaching jobs next year.

He’s regarded as instrumental in the growth of Stroudr. They built a strong relationship all season, along with Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, who’s also back under an upgraded contract after interviewing for several offensive coordinator positions.

“I knew he was going to push me hard, He was going to be hard on me,” Stroud said after leading the NFL in passing yards per contest and touchdown-to-interception ratio last season. “He held me at a standard all year. Held me accountable. A lot of times when you’re playing good ball, guys, they kind of let you do what you do and leave you alone. Bobby was always on me about the little details in my position and I appreciated that because you don’t always get that. He was always just hard on me, but also showed me a lot of love, a ton of love.

“Very knowledgeable, can really dice a defense up. Puts a lot of trust in his players and really just never got away from what he knows. Of course, tailored his coaching to what was here at the Texans, but he did what was at the core of his heart and I could appreciate that. Whatever happens with those guys, they deserve whatever is coming to them. It’s been a blessing working with them, but if they come back, that would be cool, too.”

When it comes to choosing an NFL head coaching job, Ryans was picky. He wouldn’t take just any head coaching vacancy.

One year after being involved in multiple coaching searches, including the Minnesota Vikings, the former Pro Bowl linebacker set his sights on coming home and signed a six-year lucrative contract with the Texans to become the sixth head coach in franchise history instead of joining the Denver Broncos.

SEE ALSO Panthers request interview with Texans OC Bobby Slowik for head coaching job

Ryans, 39, a former NFL Assistant Coach of the the Year with the 49ers as the architect of a top-ranked defense, advised Slowik to proceed with caution as he draws interest from NFL teams for their head coaching vacancies.

“Yeah, my advice to Bobby is to be selective,” Ryans said. “You only get one opportunity to do it, and you want to make sure you’re selective and that you’re going to – if you get the opportunity – going to a place that you feel like you can be effective.”

Slowik worked in the same office as Ryans when they were with the 49ers and they have risen in the coaching ranks together.

The Texans, with Slowik calling the plays, improved to 12th in total offense after finishing 31st the previous season with Pep Hamilton running the offense.

“With me, selecting Bobby as the offensive coordinator, Bobby is a guy that I’ve known since I’ve been in coaching,” Ryans said. “I’ve known him, I’ve worked with him for six years we’ve worked together. We’re both ‘QCs’ [quality control coaches] together, so we were both ground level guys, just grinding. Bobby is just a guy who is very detail-oriented in everything that he does. He’s a very smart guy.

“Off the field, just family man – really great father, great husband. Just a trustworthy guy and Bobby has done a tremendous job with everything that’s been asked of him. He’s done a great job with it and I’m happy to have Bobby onboard. He’s done a great job all year. We wouldn’t be here where we are standing today without Bobby and his entire staff and what they’ve done.”

Slowik, in his first year running an NFL offense, was pivotal in the development of Stroud.

Slowik, 36, previously worked at Pro Football Focus as an analyst.

“First off, it’s a credit to our staff and the success that we had throughout the year, and a lot of people are trying to see what’s going on in Houston, and a lot of people want to have interview requests,” Ryans said. “Of course, it’s kind of the nature of success. When you have success, other people want to see what’s going on and probably want to take some guys to help them out as well. It’s a tough part of it, but it’s part of the business. That’s what happens, and we’ll have to have contingency plans available if guys happen to leave.”

Like the Texans’ offense, Slowik has grown since the first game of the regular season: a 25-9 loss on the road to the Baltimore Ravens. That was one of the few games that Stroud, who finished the regular season with 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions, didn’t throw a touchdown pass.

The son of longtime NFL, CFL and college football coach Bob Slowik, the current linebackers coach for the Calgary Stampeders and a former defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears, Slowik has learned a ton from his father and San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and his father, Mike Shanahan.

“I am always asking people who helped my career,” Slowik said. “I know I have said before Kyle Shanahan and the Shanahan family, they have always been a huge impact on me in my career. But even before that and probably the biggest influence on me growing up was my dad, growing up as a long time NFL coach. I will constantly talk to him about how the game has evolved. He watched every one of our games- things that came up through the course of the season that he remembers.

“DeMeco is huge in that. Then my staff is phenomenal. I have a lot of experience on this staff, mixed in with some youth and a lot of energy in guys that can dive in a lot of different areas, self-scout wise or across the NFL, and pull things. We talked about player, but it is not just players, but Year Two for the staff is big also. Everyone has a really clear picture of what it is we want to do and how it all fits and being able to dissect that and really take things around the league and fit it into what we want to do and what our players are going to excel at. There is growth all the way across the board.”

The collaboration between Stroud and Slowik was successful all year. Stroud became the only NFL quarterback other than Tom Brady and Joe Montana to lead the NFL in passing yards per game and touchdown-to-interception ratio.

“Yeah, it’s been good,” Stroud said. “Trust is everything. That’s something Bobby talked about a lot, and we know how important it is, especially offensively to trust the next man to do their job so you’re able to do yours so you can win. So, like I said before, Week 1 to now, we’ve built a lot of trust and chemistry together, and I think it’s starting to show on film, and you can kind of just feel it in the locker room, how close we are. So, it’s a lot of different things that go along with trust that we’ve been able to build.”

Practice report

Texans Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, who had offseason arthroscopic knee surgery, and offensive lineman Tytus Howard, who had a knee injury last season, aren’t practicing. Both are expected to be ready for training camp.

Texans offensive guard Shaq Mason returned to practice after missing one of the voluntary sessions a week ago to attend his daughter’s elementary school graduation.

Starting fullback Andrew Beck missed practice with a strained calf, according to a league source. The injury is regarded as short-term.

Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter practiced after missing previous practice sessions.

Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs practiced after missing several previous organized team activities. He caught a series of passes and quickly got into a rhythm with Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com