The Houston Texans and Bill O'Brien understood they had to make an impact move in order to provide more protection for quarterback Deshaun Watson prior to the start of the 2019 season.
Watson was sacked a league-high 62 times in 2018 and–given his recent injury history–there was a sense of urgency to improve the offensive line. As such, O'Brien traded for left tackle Laremy Tunsil, fortifying Houston's blind side.
Tunsil will be a free agent after the 2020 season, and the Texans are hoping to negotiate a contract extension with the former Ole Miss product.
It will come at a cost, however, as Tunsil is looking to become the highest-paid lineman in football (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk):
During an appearance on ESPN Thursday, Tunsil confirmed he’s looking for the top spot while otherwise declining to discuss specifics of how the talks with Houston have been going.
“I’m not going to talk numbers, as I’m going to keep that between me and the club,” Tunsil said. “I am looking to be the highest-paid lineman, of course. I worked my butt off to be in that position and hopefully we can make that happen.”
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle previously reported the Texans made Tunsil an offer with an annual average salary of $18.5 million per year, though Tunsil's counter was “significantly higher.”
The $18.5 AAV would indeed make Tunsil the highest-paid lineman in football, though he actually seems intent on breaking the $20 million AAV mark.
Tunsil was one of the best pass blockers in football last year, per Pro Football Focus.
In his first season in Houston, Laremy Tunsil posted an 88.2 pass block grade, good for 3rd among offensive tackles and the highest by a tackle in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/Ruh2iwbuoC
— PFF HOU Texans (@PFF_Texans) March 14, 2020
Houston might be wise to empty their pockets, both because they need to ensure future protection for Watson and also because they can ill afford to lose more quality pieces on offense after trading star wideout DeAndre Hopkins.
Follow Us
Subscribe