The Texans have restructured Laremy Tunsil‘s top-market tackle contract, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle notes. This will create $10.1MM in cap space for the rebuilding team.
Tunsil’s 2021 base salary will drop to $990K, with the funds being transferred to a $15.1MM signing bonus, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The highly paid left tackle’s deal still runs through the 2023 season.
Despite being in clear rebuilding mode, with Deshaun Watson‘s murky status with the team making the stage of that rebuild somewhat uncertain, the Texans have been active in free agency and on the trade market. They traded for Shaq Lawson and Marcus Cannon and signed the likes of Phillip Lindsay, Tyrod Taylor, Jordan Jenkins, Desmond King and others. Tunsil’s restructure helped; so did a recent Brandin Cooks move.
The Texans’ Cooks restructure created $6MM in cap space, with ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop noting the deal does adjust the duration of Cooks’ contract. Cooks’ five-year, $80MM Rams extension ran through the 2023 season. His recent restructure voided one of those years, putting the 27-year-old wideout under contract through 2022.
I think the Texans are in for a LONG season! The stench coming from the franchise & their QB w/ his lawsuits is gonna take its toll.
At least they’re making some moves.
By FAR, the most efficient off-season in team history.
Creating cap space to do what with? Everyone good has been signed.
Their free agency has been confusing. Doesn’t seem like a team that’s rebuilding, almost like they are in denial of what’s coming but then again if Watson clears his name and plays I actually think they can be competitive, not saying they’d even make the playoffs but don’t think they’d be terrible either. But if Watson holds out and or this lawsuit stuff spills into the season and they are forced to start Tyrod Taylor they are gonna be in for a really long season. Sometimes teams hate to admit it’s time to hit the reset button, they prolong it and that’s what it seems like the Texans are doing. They should trade Watson, Cooks and anyone else who has value to kick start the rebuild. BOB really screwed them with his trades but they could actually make it a quick turnaround if they don’t act stubborn.
Texans have been making a bunch of decent moves. They haven’t spent much but they have brought in a bunch of quality vets for cheap. They did what the Packers should’ve done, get cheap quality vets.
However with all the Watson noise and trade talks and blah blah blah they should be looking at moving him and getting back as many picks as possible.
I’m still a huge fan of the Tua Tagovailoa, 3rd overall, 18th overall, 2022 first, 2023 first deal. 4 first round picks and a promising young QB. With Tyrod Taylor you have a perfect bridge QB, you’ve got a decent line, running game and receivers to support him and with the picks can start to build around him. I liken the Watson situation to the Wentz situation. Both good QBs signed long term, big cap hits but by pulling the trigger and clearing the locker room you can hopefully turn things around quickly. I expect the Eagles to suprise a bunch of teams and be pretty decent this year and I think if you traded Watson for Tua and picks you also go decent and can rebuild
As a longtime Miami fan, and of course I cannot speak for other dolphin fans, but if Miami makes such a trade I will literally snap my keyboard in half and throw my monitor into the lake. True story. Not arguing someone will likely pay Houston that sort of package for Watson but I pray that team isn’t the Fins.
I’m not a Fins fan and I hope they do. That’d be huge for the Texans. However, Miami would be fools to trade that kind of package for any player much less one no weighed down by sexual assault claims