HOUSTON (AP) – Drew Henson looks less like a third baseman and more like a quarterback after the New York Yankees’ trade deadline maneuvering.

That intrigues Houston Texans general manager Charley Casserly. The Texans, who spent a sixth-round draft choice on Henson and hold his NFL rights until next April, don’t need a young quarterback – they already have David Carr. But they could trade him to a team that does.

The 23-year-old former University of Michigan quarterback was considered the Yankees’ third baseman of the future until Thursday, when New York acquired Aaron Boone from Cincinnati.

Casserly said Friday that shortly before the Reds-Yankees trade, he saw the first signs of interest in Henson. “We had a team call about him this week,” Casserly said. “We haven’t tried to solicit anything at all.” Casserly did not select Henson to compete with Carr, last year’s No. 1 overall pick.

He bluntly said last spring that baseball clearly wasn’t working out for Henson and that the Texans could offer him the opportunity to deal with one of the 31 other teams. Houston would hope to get at least a high draft choice in return. An NFL suitor also would have to buy out part or all of the $12 million the Yankees still owe Henson as part of the six-year, $17 million baseball deal he signed in 2001.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, discussing the trade Thursday, said Henson “hasn’t developed” as a ballplayer and that the organization will talk to him about his future. Henson said there are “only so many things I can do.”

“I’m under contract, too, so it doesn’t really change a whole lot for me regardless of who’s playing third base,” he said. “You’ll go crazy if you try to worry about more than (you can control.)”

The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder has shown power but barely hits his weight at Triple-A Columbus, strikes out about once a game and has struggled so much at third base that a shift to outfield has been considered. Casserly wants the shift to be to quarterback.

“It doesn’t look like third base is in his future for the Yankees,” Casserly said. “We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Henson’s agent, Casey Close, did not immediately return a message left Friday by The Associated Press.

Casserly has personal experience with the transition from baseball to football from his days as Washington’s personnel director when the Redskins drafted Jay Schroeder, a failed minor league baseball player. Schroeder ended up playing 10 seasons at quarterback in the NFL.

, primarily for Washington and the Raiders.

“It takes a year to come back, but after a year, you do come back,” he said.

AP-ES-08-01-03 1800EDT