The Houston Texans are still working on signing star left tackle Laremy Tunsil to an extension.
Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said he and Tunsil have “been in touch quite a bit” about a new contract, though it seems there is still a fairly substantial gap between what the Texans are offering and Tunsil's reported asking price (via Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk):
“We’re working hard to try to get a deal done,” O’Brien said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “Laremy and I have been in touch quite a bit. Laremy is a great guy. He’s a great part of our team. We’ve been in a lot of contact. I don’t want to get into the details of that.”
The Texans have reportedly offered to pay Tunsil $18.5 million per year, which would make him the highest-paid tackle in the league. Tunsil has reportedly asked for $22 million a year. That obviously leaves some negotiating room for both sides.
Tunsil is entering the final year of his current deal in 2020, and the Texans would likely prefer to have some security given they gave up two first-round picks in order to acquire Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins.
The Texans have had a strange offseason thus far, trading All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals before taking on Brandin Cooks' massive contract in a separate deal with the Los Angeles Rams.
However, locking up Tunsil might be the most important move for O'Brien. Tunsil is the focal point of Houston's offensive line, and O'Brien will almost certainly need to bring him back if he hopes to have any chance of extending or re-signing star quarterback Deshaun Watson.
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