Tunsil On Negotiating Own Contract
Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil recently landed a three-year, $66MM extension that easily made him the league’s highest-paid offensive lineman, and he did it without an agent. Tunsil negotiated the contract himself and he’s quite happy he did, writes Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com. Tunsil said he thinks he “started a trend by not having an agent doing my deal,” and that he “wanted to reset the market and become the highest-paid offensive linemen just so all the young players under me [know] that anything is possible.”
During the press call Tunsil revealed that he first started talking with the Texans back in February, and that he was insistent on signing a shorter-term deal so he could re-enter free agency again when he was still young. Tunsil is locked up through the 2023 season now, and he’ll still only be 29 when he hits free agency in the spring of 2024. This could become a growing trend in the league, and Tunsil said he spoke with Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, who also negotiated his own contract, during the process. “You just have to bet on yourself, and that’s what I did, and I got the deal done,” Tunsil declared. “I’m extremely proud of myself and the team. I’m still speechless, even though it was a couple of days ago they made the announcement. I’m still speechless.”
Texans Exercise Deshaun Watson’s Fifth-Year Option
Unsurprisingly, the Texans are committing to Deshaun Watson. Houston has picked up the fifth-year option on their franchise quarterback, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).
Watson is set to play the 2020 season on a $1.17MM base salary. Under the fifth-year option, his salary will be boosted to around $17.3MM in 2021.
This was an easy decision for the Texans, as the quarterback has emerged as an MVP contender. The 2017 12th-overall pick has started 31 games for Houston the past two year, connecting on 67.8-percent of his passes while averaging 4,008 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10.5 interceptions. He’s also continued to be productive on the ground, rushing for 12 touchdowns between 2018 and 2019.
Most importantly, he’s led the Texans to a 21-10 record over the past two seasons. This has led to a pair of playoff appearances, where he’s gone 1-2.
We heard last week that the organization had kicked off “very preliminary” extension talks with the star quarterback, and the front office was focused on completing a deal by the start of the regular season. We previously heard that Watson was going to wait under Patrick Mahomes re-signed with the Chiefs before inking his own extension.
Texans To Release S Tashaun Gipson
The Texans are moving on from Tashaun Gipson, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The safety will be released with two years to go on his three-year, $22.5MM deal.
[RELATED: Lions Deny Backing Out Of Trade With Texans]
Gipson hooked on with Houston prior to the 2019 season, fresh off of a three-year stint with the Jaguars. The Jags also dropped him midway through a lucrative deal – he was in the midst of a five-year, $36MM pact when Jacksonville let him go.
In his final season with the Jaguars, Gipson graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 37 ranked safety in the NFL. He was also valued for his durability, having started in all 48 of his games across three seasons. Unfortunately, he suffered a transverse process fracture in his back late last year, ending his season towards the end of the calendar year.
By cutting Gipson, the Texans will save $3.2MM while carrying $4.25MM in dead money. Meanwhile, they’ll look for a new partner for Justin Reid in center field. He’s been pushing for the Texans to sign his brother, Eric Reid, which would give the Texans a formidable 1-2 brotherly duo in the secondary. Whether they bring the Reid Bros. together or not, a veteran signing is pretty much a must. The Texans did not draft a safety over the weekend and their current group doesn’t offer any shoe-in replacements for the starting lineup.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/26/20
Today’s minor moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed exclusive rights tenders: WR Jake Kumerow, DT Tyler Lancaster
Houston Texans
- Signed: LS Anthony Kukwa
New England Patriots
- Released: Keionta Davis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: RB Darrin Hall, WR Jamal Custis, S Tray Matthews
Davis signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2017, and spent two of the past three seasons on injured reserve. He played a significant role on the 2018 team, starting three out of the six games he appeared in and winning Super Bowl LIII with the team. He was just re-signed last month, but didn’t last long.
All three of the players Pittsburgh cut spent time on their practice squad last year, but none of them have appeared in a regular season game yet.
Saints Trade Up For QB Tommy Stevens
As the draft comes to a close, the Saints are making an interesting selection. New Orleans traded back up into the seventh-round to take Mississippi State quarterback Tommy Stevens with the 240th pick.
The Saints gave the Texans a sixth-rounder in the 2021 draft to get the pick. The Saints are reportedly planning on having Taysom Hill take over for Drew Brees, and Stevens could take over for Hill. He’s a similar type of swiss army knife player who reportedly impressed scouts in workouts earlier this offseason. Stevens entered Penn State as a highly-recruited passer, but got blocked on the depth chart behind Trace McSorely.
While serving as McSorely’s backup he also played a large role on offense, as Penn State had a package of plays where he’d line up in the backfield or as a receiver. In the 2017 season, he had 250 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns. Before last season he transferred to MSU, and initially became their starting quarterback.
He struggled with injuries and was benched at times, finishing the season with 1,155 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions. It’ll be interesting to see if he can carve out a Hill-like role in the pros.
Lions Deny Backing Out Of Texans Trade
It wouldn’t be a true NFL Draft if there wasn’t a bit of drama between two teams. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets that Texans head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien was “furious” at the Lions for backing out of a trade.
According to McClain, the Texans “had a deal” to send the No. 90 pick to the Lions. Detroit ended up backing out at the “last instant,” and cameras caught O’Brien’s visible frustration. Houston ultimately kept the pick and settled for Florida linebacker Jonathan Greenard.
Predictably, Lions general manager Bob Quinn has already said that he was never close to a trade with the Texans.
“Listen, we talk to a lot of teams,” Quinn told Kyle Meinke of MLive.com (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “When we’re not on the clock, we talk to a bunch of teams, and it’s not just myself. We’ve got four or five people that make calls, so I’m not sure what that was about. But we didn’t have a trade.”
As Smith points out, Quinn and O’Brien were both on the Patriots staff between 2007 and 2011.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes that the NFL makes it abundantly clear that a trade isn’t finalized until it’s made official. Trade talks are currently made even tougher thanks to the unconventional draft setup.
Texans, Deshaun Watson Have Discussed Extension
The Texans and quarterback Deshaun Watson have begun “very preliminary” extension discussions, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Houston would like to have a new deal in place for Watson by the start of the regular season.
Head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien already crossed one item of his to-do list earlier today by signing left tackle Laremy Tunsil to a record-breaking extension, and Watson is obviously the next Texans player in line for a fresh contract. Like Tunsil’s deal, Watson’s extension figures to reach extraordinary heights.
Russell Wilson currently leads all quarterbacks in annual value with a yearly salary of $35MM, and there’s no doubt Watson and his agent want to topple that mark. Of course, Patrick Mahomes could soon take over as the highest-paid quarterback, as the Chiefs are reportedly targeting a post-draft extension for the 2018 MVP.
There’s no argument to be made that Watson’s performance — as good as it’s been — should earn more than Mahomes, but during his short stint as the Texans’ top decision-maker, O’Brien has proven that anything is possible. Either way, dueling contract discussions between Mahomes and the Chiefs/Watson and the Texans should prove beneficial for both signal-callers and drive up the price tag for both players.
The Texans aren’t under any obligation to extend Watson’s contract immediately. Because Watson was a first-round pick in 2017, Houston holds a fifth-year option for the 2021 campaign. That option will surely be exercised, meaning the Texans control the 24-year-old’s rights for two more years. Still, it sound as though Houston may not want to wait much longer before locking in Watson for the long haul.
Texans To Extend Laremy Tunsil
The Texans have reached an agreement on a three-year extension for left tackle Laremy Tunsil, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). It’s a monster number — $66MM — for the former first-round pick.
In addition to a $22MM salary, $57MM is guaranteed. The contract contains a $13MM signing bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Tunsil will receive $40MM over the first two years of the deal, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
The numbers on Tunsil’s new money are, in a word, staggering. Tunsil confirmed earlier this month that he planned on becoming the NFL’s highest-paid offensive tackle, and he’s done so by a wide margin. Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson previously held that honor with an $18MM/year average, but Tunsil has now exceeded that figure by $4MM, a hefty increase.
This year, Tunsil will take home more than $27MM, with Wilson adding he will receive $16.85MM fully guaranteed in 2021. In 2022, $10MM of Tunsil’s $17.85MM base salary is guaranteed. His $18.5MM 2023 salary is non-guaranteed.
Tunsil’s $57MM in guarantees almost surely refers to injury guarantees, not full guarantees. The Raiders’ Trent Brown currently leads all offensive linemen $36.25MM in fully guaranteed money, so $57MM would represent an unprecedented jump. Johnson received $55.845MM in injury guarantees on his extension with Philadelphia, and Tunsil has now topped that as well.
Of course, Tunsil held all the leverage in talks with Houston and exerted that clout as best he could. The Texans made a stunning trade to acquire Tunsil last year, sending two first-round picks plus a second-rounder to Miami in order to land 25-year-old starter. Having made that move, there was simply no way Houston could allow Tunsil to leave via free agency, so the club had to give him a massive extension.
Tunsil, the 13th overall selection in the 2016 draft, had one year and $10.35MM remaining on his contract. While the Texans could have theoretically franchised him in both 2021 and 2022, Tunsil could have sat out or refused to sign the tag. The optics of such a maneuver wouldn’t have been great for Houston. Instead, a three-year extension will lock up Tunsil through the 2023 campaign.
In spite of his new annual salary, Tunsil remains a good — not great — left tackle. While he’s been a full-time starter in each of his four NFL seasons, he’s never made an All-Pro team and was given a Pro Bowl nod just once (2019). Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, graded Tunsil just outside the top-20 tackles in each of the past two years.
Tunsil, who fired his agent in March, negotiated this deal directly with Texans head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien, tweets Wilson. Tunsil received input from outside advisors, but he clearly did very well for himself in working out a new contract.
Texans To Sign S Michael Thomas
The Texans are signing veteran safety and special teamer Michael Thomas, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). It’s a one-year deal, tweets Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.
Thomas, not to be confused with the Saints receiver of the same name, is widely considered one the best special teams players in the NFL. Throughout his career with the Dolphins and Giants, Thomas has regularly played more than 75% of his team’s ST snaps. In addition, he’s viewed as an excellent locker room presence and was New York’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2018, tweets Raanan.
A Pro Bowler as a special teamer in 2018, Thomas has seen significant action on the defense in the past, as he played more than 45% of his club’s defensive snaps in 2015, 2016, and 2018. However, Houston already has Justin Reid and Tashaun Gipson lined up as starters at safety, and the team also signed defensive back Eric Murray to a three-year deal last month. Thus, Thomas will likely spend most of his time on special teams duty.
The Texans have placed an emphasis on special teams in recent years, so the addition of Thomas shouldn’t come as a total surprise. Houston ranked fifth in Football Outsiders‘ special teams metric in each of the past two seasons.
Texans Discussing Trade Into First Round
The Texans and head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien haven’t been afraid to make deals this offseason, and they might not be done just yet. Houston, whose first pick currently sits at No. 40 overall, has called teams with an eye towards moving back into the first round, as Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets.
Frankly, it’s difficult to believe the Texans have the draft capital required to make any sort of significant move up the board. Previous trades have left their reserve of 2020 and 2021 picks relatively barren. This year, Houston has only two selections (Nos. 40 and 90) within the top-100 picks. In 2021, the club doesn’t have a first- or second-round pick.
Of course, the Texans could attempt other variations of trade proposals. Houston could consider reaching even further into the future and start trading 2022 selections, for example, or send a veteran player along in a potential deal. O’Brien, to be sure, has complete control in Houston and hasn’t been afraid to make all-in trades in the very recent past.