HOUSTON -- Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Dom
Capers has agreed in principle to a five-year contract to become the first coach of the expansion Houston Texans.
|  | | Former Panthers head coach Dom Capers agreed Friday to coach his second NFL expansion team. |
"Discussions are progressing very well," Texans owner Bob
McNair said. "We have reached agreement on the financial terms but
there are other terms still being negotiated."
Capers' deal will average $1.8 million per year, report ESPN.com's John Clayton and Chris Mortensen.
McNair said he was so convinced the hiring would
become official that the team already scheduled a 1 p.m. CST news
conference for Sunday to announce the signing of Capers as the
Texans' coach.
"I'm extremely excited about the opportunity," Capers said by
telephone at a news conference called by McNair late Friday.
The Houston job will be Capers' second shot at directing an NFL
team from scratch.
He was the first coach in Carolina Panthers' history and led
them to the NFC title game in 1996, only the team's second year.
The performance, including a 13-5 record, earned him NFL Coach of
the Year honors.
In Carolina's first year, his team won seven games, the most
ever for an expansion team.
Capers, 50, was fired after the 1998 season when the Panthers
slipped to 4-12, then was hired by the Jaguars to coach the
defense.
|  | | Texans owner Bob McNair, left, and general manager Charley Casserly prepare for a conference call with Capers. |
He also had been a candidate for the vacant coaching job in
Buffalo, where Wade Phillips was fired last week. Phillips was
among the seven men interviewed by the Texans but Capers was the
only one to make two visits.
McNair previously had said he wasn't interested in hiring a
coach until next year, but apparently had a change of heart after
two weeks of interviewing Capers and other NFL coaches.
The Texans begin play in 2002.
Capers was in Houston this week for a second round of
discussions and had returned to Florida earlier Friday to take care
of previously scheduled obligations. His agent, however, had
remained behind to continue negotiations.
The Texans paid a $700 million expansion fee and now are
spending millions more on scouting and other areas with little
incoming revenue to offset costs, such as a coach's high salary.
The Houston Chronicle reported this week that Capers, who signed
a 10-year contrct extension with Carolina in 1996, will be paid
about $9 million by the Panthers through the 2006 season and could
be a relative bargain this year for Houston before having his
salary elevated when the Texans begin play.
Capers withdrew from consideration for the New York Jets job
before the Jets hired Herman Edwards, Tampa Bay's assistant head
coach, on Thursday.
Art Shell, who resigned earlier this month after four years as
offensive line coach of the Atlanta Falcons, interviewed with
Houston earlier this week.
Other candidates who have interviewed with the team were
Phillips; Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak; Ted
Cottrell, Phillips' defensive coordinator at Buffalo; University of
Miami coach Butch Davis; and St. Louis assistant head coach Al
Saunders.
Capers began his coaching career in 1972 at Kent State, where he
was a graduate assistant for three seasons while earning a masters
degree in administration. He had assistant collegiate coaching jobs
at Washington, Hawaii, San Jose State, California, Tennessee and
Ohio State.
In 1984, he moved into pro football, joining Jim Mora's staff
with the Philadelphia and Baltimore of the USFL. In 1986, he
followed Mora to the NFL with New Orleans.
In 1992, he went to the Steelers as defensive coordinator, then
to Carolina in 1995.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Mortensen: Capers to finally unite with Casserly
Shell becomes latest to interview with Texans
Coughlin relents, promotes Petrino to Jags offensive coordinator
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Dom Capers feels good about coaching in Houston.
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