Report: Texans signing OT Laremy Tunsil to historic extension worth record $22M per year
Laremy Tunsil hit the jackpot.
A season after joining the Houston Texans from the Miami Dolphins, the offensive tackle has agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $22 million per season, the Houston Chronicle reports.
It’s the highest salary in NFL history for an offensive lineman, eclipsing the $18 million Lane Johnson annually receives from the Philadelphia Eagles, according to the report.
Report: Tunsil negotiated directly with Bill O’Brien
The Chronicle reports that $57 million of the contract is guaranteed and that Tunsil negotiated directly with head coach and general manger Bill O’Brien without the guidance of an agent.
Tunsil, a fourth-year pro, made his first Pro Bowl after joining the Texans last season. He was a first-round draft pick of the Dolphins in 2016. The Texans traded for Tunsil before the 2019 season, sending the Dolphins a package that included two first-round picks and a second-round pick while also receiving wide receiver Kenny Stills in return.
Big moves under Bill O’Brien
The Texans have made several moves in the last year orchestrated by O’Brien, including the controversial trade of All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson and a second-round pick in March.
Part of the impetus for the trade reportedly centered on Hopkins’ contract demand of $18 million-$20 million per season. O’Brien later defended the trade by arguing that Hopkins had three years remaining on his deal when he made the demand.
Hopkins has since said that he made the demand expecting that it would prompt a trade, stating that he wanted to get away from O’Brien.
“There was no relationship,” Hopkins told Sports Illustrated last week of O’Brien. “Make sure you put that in there. There’s not a lot to speak about.”
The Texans also traded three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks last offseason after the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement on a new deal.
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