Laremy Tunsil wants to be the highest-paid tackle in the National Football League, and he doesn't care who knows. The Houston Texans' left tackle told ESPN about his aspirations to “reset the market” on Wednesday afternoon.
“I don't know who's the highest right now, maybe Trent [Williams] at $23 [million], but I want to top that,” Tunsil explained to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. “Always want to reset the market. Perfect opportunity to reset the market. Everything is lining up as far as my contract to how I'm playing. Everything lining up perfectly.”
Tunsil is clearly betting on himself for his next contract. The 28-year-old Ole Miss product is in the second year of a three-year, $66 million contract with the Texans; he was the highest paid offensive linemen in terms of annual value when he signed the deal in 2020.
Heading into 2023, Tunsil is among the best linemen in the NFL: his pass win rate (92.0%) was 12th best among tackles, as he allowed only one sack all year (tied for second fewest) and has allowed 12 pressures (third fewest), per ESPN.
Tunsil will have a base salary of $18.5 million in 2023, with a $35.2 million cap number and $16.7 dead cap number. The Texans could release or trade Tunsil to free up space, so it makes sense that he's looking for long-term security with his next contract.
“Something that motivated me during the offseason was an article that came out that said I was a very good starter,” Tunsil said. “That gave me the fuel to just get back to playing football…coming back just to show everybody that I am the best tackle.”
Laremy Tunsil was originally drafted in the first-round, 13th overall by the Miami Dolphins in 2016, and played the first three seasons of his career in Florida before being traded to Houston in Aug. 2019.
He was voted to the Pro Bowl in his first season with the Texans in 2019, and was ranked 75th by his fellow players in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
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