BREAKING NEWS: Texans hire DeMeco Ryans as Head Coach

Jan 31, 2023 - 9:24 PM

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The Houston Texans have their guy.

According to sources, the Texans are hiring former linebacker and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as the team’s newest head coach.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Ryans and the Texans have agreed to a six-year contract.

Texans officials met with Ryans for a second time today after the 49ers lost the NFC Championship to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ryans was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers for two seasons, leading them to the NFC Championship in each season and to the No. 1 ranked defense this past season.

Ryans, 38, played for the Texans as a linebacker from 2006-11 and made two Pro Bowls in Houston. He also was named First Team All-Pro during his second NFL season in 2007. He recorded over 100 tackles in each of his first four seasons with the franchise and also accomplished the feat twice with the Eagles during his stint in Philadelphia from 2012-15.

After he retired in 2015, Ryans took a year off and joined the 49ers coaching staff in 2017. He has blossomed in a winning culture led by Kyle Shanahan, who was a coach for the Texans while Ryans was a player from 2006-09.

Ryans is the perfect mix of someone who is part of the past Texans culture infused with a modern energy that can hopefully bring Houston back towards football relevancy in the very near future.