Texans give GM Rick Smith 4-year extension through 2020

HOUSTON -- After an active and pricey offseason, the Texans have extended the contract of general manager Rick Smith through the 2020 season.

Smith was entering the final year of his previous deal. This will be his 11th season as the Texans' general manager.

"I think stability is important, and if you look at the clubs who have been good throughout the years, they've been very stable," Texans owner Bob McNair told KRIV in Houston. "They haven't had a lot of changes. Certainly if you don't have the right people, you need to have changes. Once you get the right people in place, I think it's much better if you can be stable and keep them in place for a long time."

The Texans have had winning records in five of Smith's 10 seasons at the helm. They've been to the playoffs three times and won two games; in 2011 and 2012, the Texans beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round of the playoffs and then lost in the divisional round to the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots, respectively.

The 2013 season proved to be a disaster for the Texans, but one Smith survived. Houston went 2-14, and coach Gary Kubiak was fired during the season. In the news conference to announce Kubiak's firing, McNair sat on stage with Smith beside him.

"This is not a long-term rebuilding process," McNair said that day as he described what awaited his new coach. "I want to make that clear. We've got core players who are outstanding players, and we still need to fill a few holes."

Once the Texans hired Bill O'Brien that offseason, though, the roster changed quickly and dramatically.

By 2015, less than half of 2013's starters remained so. Heading into the 2016 season, the Texans have a different starting quarterback, running back, receiver, right guard, left guard and center than they had in 2013. Defensively, four starters remain from the 2013 season.

One thing most of the remaining players have in common is they were first-round selections made by Smith's department.

Every first-round pick since 2008 is still with the team and starting. That group includes left tackle Duane Brown (2008), linebacker Brian Cushing (2009), cornerback Kareem Jackson (2010), defensive end J.J. Watt (2011), outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus (2012), receiver DeAndre Hopkins (2013), outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (2014) and cornerback Kevin Johnson (2015).

The later rounds have been more of a challenge for Smith.

Smith also led a robust and potentially risky 2016 offseason. He committed a combined $126 million to three offensive starters: quarterback Brock Osweiler, running back Lamar Miller and left guard Jeff Allen.

Whether Osweiler succeeds or fails will factor significantly into the Texans' success or failure this season. Still, McNair told ESPN in March that the fates of his general manager and coach were not tied to Osweiler. By extending Smith, McNair showed at least half of that is true.