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The Patriots enforced a clause in Nick Caserio’s contract to keep him from interviewing (and presumably getting) the Texans General Manager job.

They may have a bigger problem on their hands.

According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the top non-Bill Belichick personnel man there wants out of New England, creating an awkward dynamic for the team.

Caserio has a year left on his contract, and last week’s events make it clear the Patriots intend for him to honor it.

The Texans not hiring a G.M. for the time being also creates a pretty clear impression that they’re holding the seat open until Caserio can fill it.

As Florio wrote last week, the qeustion of whether a relationship can be repaired with a twice-blocked Caserio remains to be answered, along with whether that will impact their operations.

They’ve continued to win amid reports of internal friction before, but it’s worth noting that all this comes after an offseason in which five assistant coaches left (not all for promotions), along with a longtime scout (Dujuan Daniels) and character coach Jack Easterby (who’s now in Houston).