Houston Texans Reportedly Offer Laremy Tunsil $18.5 Million A Year

The Houston Texans paid a premium to land offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. Now it's time to pay him.

Tunsil, 25, is coming off the first Pro Bowl selection of his career. The market for offensive linemen is rapidly increasing each year, so it's no wonder that the Texans are preparing to give him a lucrative long-term deal.

According to a report from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans offered Tunsil a deal that would have paid him an average of $18.5 million annually. However, Tunsil eyeing even more than that.

The Ole Miss product certainly holds the leverage here. Texans head coach and GM Bill O'Brien surrendered a package that included two first-round picks and a 2021 second-rounder to land Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills.

So after giving up that much for their services, O'Brien cannot afford to lose Tunsil, and he knows that the stud offensive lineman needs a long-term deal.

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson took a whopping 62 sacks in the 2018 season. Though the offensive line remained a weakness in 2019, Watson's sack total fell down to 44, thanks in large part to the efforts of Tunsil.

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Thanks to Watson and a much improved offensive line, the Texans reached the AFC Divisional Round, but they blew a 24-0 lead and fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Tunsil is in great position to become the highest-paid offensive tackle in the league. Right now, Trent Brown of the Las Vegas Raiders carries the highest cap hit among all tackles at $21.5 million, according to Spotrac. Next on that list is Nate Solder of the New York Giants ($19.5 million), followed by Taylor Lewan (Tennessee Titans, $18.2 million) and Anthony Castonzo (Indianapolis Colts, $17 million).

Given Tunsil's age, and the fact that he's coming of his best season yet, he is more than deserving of becoming the highest-paid tackle in the league. Early contract talks suggest that he'll get there.

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