News
3/19/23
3 min read
Texans Make Tunsil Highest-Paid Tackle With 3-Year, $75M Extension
The Houston Texans have made Laremy Tunsil the highest-paid offensive tackle in the NFL, signing him to a three-year extension worth $75 million on Sunday.
The deal, reported by NFL Media, pushes Tunsil past the San Francisco 49ers' Trent Williams for top billing, with Tunsil making $25 million a season to anchor Houston's offensive line.
The former first-round pick has spent four seasons with the Texans since being acquired in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. He made his third Pro Bowl in those four seasons in 2022, playing every regular-season game and topping 1,000 snaps for the first time in his career.
This is the second time in four years Tunsil has reset the offensive tackle market. The Texans acquired Tunsil in 2019 for a package that included two first-round picks and a second-rounder. One year later, they made him the highest-paid tackle in the league on a deal worth $22 million per season. That figure was since eclipsed by Williams and the Green Bay Packers' David Bakhtiari.
This time around, Tunsil gets a sizable jump on the rest of the league. His $25 million is nearly two million more per year than Williams' annual rate.
Tunsil will earn his money, serving as a core piece of a team undergoing a lengthy rebuild. The Texans pick No. 2 overall in this year's NFL Draft and are widely expected to take one of the top four quarterback prospects. Tunsil, who has played left tackle for the Texans, will be entrusted with protecting that new quarterback's blind side.
It is also one of the most notable contracts ever signed by a player without an agent. Tunsil represented himself in negotiations with the Texans, a slowly growing trend in the NFL. Roquan Smith negotiated a deal with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2022 season to become the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL, and quarterback Jacoby Brissett acted as his own agent in striking a deal with the Washington Commanders this week.
This is how you do it players. Sign 3 year deals and don’t push for fully guaranteed contracts. Drive up the AAV, keep the contract short, and cash in 2-3 years later as the market keeps jumping. He’ll be ready for another deal when he’s 30-31. His 4th deal, not his 3rd. Awesome. https://t.co/3o0u6mwznD
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) March 19, 2023
Quarterback Lamar Jackson may be the most high-profile name without representation. The former NFL MVP remains available to negotiate a deal with any team after the Ravens used the non-exclusive franchise tag on him.
>> READ: Lack of Agent Costing Jackson Millions of Dollars
The signing was part of a busy morning for the Texans. The news came just minutes after the team agreed to a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, sending wide receiver Brandin Cooks across the state in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round picks.
