The Houston Texans sputtered mightily in 2022. Through all the team’s downtrodden results, lineman Laremy Tunsil managed to shine brightly.
Even with the offense a mess around him, Tunsil’s brilliance has stood out. Fans elected the former Ole Miss standout to his third-career Pro Bowl after he allowed only one sack all season. Now, the 28-year-old lineman is looking for a new contract. He’s thinking big, too: According to ESPN, he wants to be the highest-paid tackle in the NFL.
“I don’t know who’s the highest right now, maybe Trent [Williams] at $23 [million], but I want to top that,” Tunsil said (via ESPN), referring to the San Francisco 49ers’ star. “Always want to reset the market. Perfect opportunity to reset the market. Everything is lining up as far as my contract to how I’m playing. Everything lining up perfectly.”
Tunsil is entering the final year of his contract in 2023. He’s set to earn a base salary of $18.5 million net season. He wants the financial security that comes with a long-term deal. Who’s to say he doesn’t deserve to reset the bar for offensive tackles?
Obviously, the Texans will have many other salary considerations. The team hopes to improve an offensive unit that ranks last in the league in total yards. The defense isn’t much better, ranking 30th in yards and 26th in points allowed.
None of that is Tunsil’s fault. All he can do is continue to excel on the field, make his case in salary negotiations, and see what happens. If the Texans can’t meet his demands, there are many other teams around the league who would be happy to. Even at a record-setting amount.
Tunsil hopes to add All-Pro honors this season, which would only help his case.
“It feels good to be a Pro Bowl starter, getting voted in from the coaches and players, so I’m blessed to have that opportunity,” Tunsil said (via ESPN). “To [potentially] get an All-Pro nod? Man, I’ve been working my a– off for all seven years just to get acknowledged as an All-Pro. I feel like that’s one of the biggest achievements in the NFL.”
Tunsil’s certainly come a long way since that infamous “gas mask” video surfaced before the 2016 NFL Draft. He’s even learned to laugh about that unfortunate incident. Earlier this year, Tunsil turned an image of the video into an NFT.
[ESPN]
