Texans to Extend Gary Kubiak's Contract

The Texans are currently negotiating with head coach Gary Kubiak to extend his contract at least through 2013.

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the deal likely will be completed by the end of next week. McClain had previously hinted that this was in the works. (UPDATE: Kubiak has agreed to a new three year contract that runs through 2012 and is the same length as his assistant coaches' contracts).

Since Texans owner Bob McNair came into the league, he has expressed an appreciation of stable organizations like the Steelers. He can afford to be patient because every game at Reliant Stadium since the beginning of the franchise is sold out. He doesn't have to change coaches to jump start ticket sales. He very much likes and respects Kubiak, and even before last season, Kubiak appeared safe barring a total collapse of the team. McNair believes the team is going in the right direction, and that a contract extension for Kubiak helps future winning:

I think continuity's extremely important in building a strong team...It can impact free agency. It's important when you hire (assistant) coaches. Our new coaches (offensive coordinator Rick Dennison and quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp), who are outstanding, were getting contracts beyond Gary's, and I told him to let them know it wasn't an issue.

I think we're on the right path. I think we have to keep building on the foundation we have.

The contract extension may be some comfort for Kubiak given the brutality of a schedule the Texans will face next season: All the teams in the AFC South twice (where they went an abysmal 1-5 last year), the NFC East, plus the Ravens, Jets, Chargers, Broncos (plus the Chiefs and Raiders). That's a coach killing schedule, and if Kubiak didn't get an extension, most of the off-season talk would be about hotseats.

Based on last year's record, the Texans schedule for next year is tied for toughest in the league. Though past year's schedule strength typically has little predictive value for future year's performance, over the last decade, the AFC South and NFC East traditionally have been very strong divisions.

That last point may be part of the reason why a head coach of a team that has never made the playoffs and lost almost all of the games in his division last year got an extension. Gary Kubiak didn't walk into a situation with a veteran team in an easy division. He completely rebuilt a roster that in 2005 had only one elite player in wide receiver Andre Johnson, and a few good holdover players in cornerback Dunta Robinson and guard Chester Pitts.

Kubiak pulled the plug on the Mister Mittens David Carr experiment after the 2006 season, and then entrusted his team with unproven backup quarterback Matt Schaub from Atlanta. After three years of development, Schaub put up the 6th highest passing totals in NFL history. It's not easy to build a team with inexperience at the quarterback position and throughout the roster but that's what Kubiak has helped build.

Instead of making popular choices in Reggie Bush and Vince Young in 2006, Kubiak gave his defense some help by choosing Mario Williams to fill the difficult to find position of defensive end. (Despite some peoples' opinion to the contrary, Charlie Casserly did not get fired due to the Williams' pick. His resignation was in the works long before that, and Kubiak is the person that signed off on the picks of the 2006 draft).

Last year, the Texans had the youngest starting offensive and defensive lineups in the league. With Schaub in his 4th year in the offensive system, and the defense getting more used to playing together, McNair clearly thinks it is the wrong time to blow up the team.