Laremy Tunsil has brought back two big trade packages in his career. While the haul the Texans parted with to acquire the veteran left tackle dwarfs what the Commanders sent to Houston for his rights, Washington still included four draft picks to upgrade at the premium position.
The Commanders traded second-, third-, fourth- and seventh-round picks to the Texans for Tunsil and a fourth last March. Tunsil delivered another strong year at LT, but he missed three games and did not receive an original-ballot Pro Bowl invite. Still, the Commanders were satisfied with the upgrade he provided.
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GM Adam Peters said the team wants to extend Tunsil “sooner rather than later,” via ESPN.com’s John Keim. Peters said “constant communication” has taken place between team and player on a new deal — one that would be Tunsil’s fourth NFL agreement.
Rumblings about an extension push emerged in December. Beyond his Dolphins rookie contract, the Texans paid the former first-rounder in 2020 and 2023. Tunsil is still tied to a three-year, $75MM deal. That pact expires after the 2026 season. The Texans not prioritizing a Tunsil deal in 2024 led them to move on.
If Tunsil enters this season on his current deal, he will (barring a restructure) count $24.91MM on Washington’s cap sheet. The Commanders are in good position to pay their blindside blocker, holding a projected $76MM-plus in cap space. That number should grow ahead of the league year (March 11), giving the team plenty of room to work out a deal with the 11th-year veteran.
Pro Football Focus ranked Tunsil seventh among qualified tackles in 2025, ranking him as the NFL’s second-best pass blocker. Much of Tunsil’s season came protecting Marcus Mariota, with Jayden Daniels playing only seven games. The Commanders sought Tunsil to provide an upgrade on their Cornelius Lucas–Brandon Coleman situation from 2024, but Tunsil and Daniels did not see too much time together. The team has since moved on from OC Kliff Kingsbury, with David Blough promoted to replace him.
Tunsil, 31, has driven a hard bargain in the past. The Texans sending two first-round picks and a second to the Dolphins for Tunsil in 2019 emboldened the Pro Bowl LT to command a market-shifting extension ($22MM per year) in 2020. The market did not move much between Tunsil’s first and second deals, but he scored $50MM guaranteed at signing (compared to $40MM at signing in 2020) on his 2023 Houston extension. The Commanders would owe Tunsil a $20.95MM base salary on that contract, but given what the NFC East team gave up to acquire him, an extension seems likely.
Washington has two veteran contracts on its O-line, with Samuel Cosmi at $18.5MM per year and Tyler Biadasz at $10MM AAV. The latter also looms as an extension candidate, but Tunsil will be the higher priority. The Commanders can save $18.5MM by releasing Marshon Lattimore and nearly $4MM by cutting Nick Allegretti. The team can also create cap space with a Daron Payne extension, but Keim adds that is not a given just yet.
Extended after being franchise-tagged in 2023, Payne is in a contract year. The veteran defensive tackle is due to count a team-high $27.95MM on this year’s cap sheet. The Ron Rivera regime paid Payne, who was a Bruce Allen draft choice. The Commanders were pleased with Payne’s play in 2025, per Keim, who adds a “definite chance” exists he plays out his contract. Payne is going into an age-29 season; he would be positioned to land another lucrative contract if he hits free agency in 2027.