TUNSIL RECEIVES ONE HUGE PAYDAY
Laremy Tunsil almost lost it all and now he’s at the top of the mountain.
Just four years after a video of Tunsil smoking marijuana was leaked during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Tunsil has become one of the richest players in NFL history.
Tunsil and the Texans agreed on a three-year deal worth $66 million, with $57.85 million guaranteed. This is the first blockbuster transaction the Texans have made since they traded away superstar wide receiver Deandre Hopkins to the Cardinals for David Johnson and draft picks.
Houston didn’t really have a choice here. They lost all leverage to get a teamfriendly deal when they traded an avalanche of draft picks to acquire Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins. Houston couldn’t afford to let Tunsil walk away for nothing after paying a hefty price to get him.
Tunsil is now tied with Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones among the highest paid non-quarterbacks in the league, averaging $22 million per year on his extension. Only Khalil Mack ($23,500,000 per year) and Aaron Donald ($22,500,000 per year) are averaging more per year among nonquarterbacks.
That’s a boatload of money to pay for an offensive tackle, but at least Tunsil is one of the premier offensive tackles in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, Tunsil allowed only 20 pressures on 553 pass block snaps and finished sixth in pass-blocking efficiency among all offensive tackles with at least 375 pass-blocking snaps.
The Texans have Tunsil locked in for a few more seasons, which means they can focus their efforts on getting a long-term deal done with star quarterback Deshaun Watson. Houston has plenty of cap space to play with in the coming years, including a projected $53 million in 2021 according to Over The Cap.
Notable
The first night of the NFL Draft averaged a record 15.6 million viewers on television, easily shattering the record set six years ago. Thursday night’s first round was aired on ABC, ESPN, the NFL Network and ESPN Deportes. The coverage peaked from 5:45-6 p.m. PT when 19.6 million viewers tuned in, according to Nielsen. That is up 37 percent over last year’s 11.4 million.
• Patriots center David Andrews said he is ready to return after missing all of last season with blood clots in his lungs. Andrews posted a video of himself doing a celebration dance on Instagram on Thursday.
• The Rams announced the signings of linebacker Leonard Floyd and defensive tackle A’shawn Robinson after quarterback Jared Goff restructured his contract to create salary cap room. Floyd and Robinson agreed to join the Rams as free agents several weeks ago, but the announcements of their deals were delayed because they hadn’t been able to complete their physical exams because of the pandemic.