Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil reached a three-year contract extension with the Houston Texans worth $22 million annually. It gives the Texans the security of having the highest paid offensive lineman in the game protecting the blindside of franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Why didn’t Tunsil sign a longer deal with the Texans and give himself even more security?
“Just to give me another opportunity to get into the market,” Tunsil told reporters on April 27. “I just felt like three years was better than four, just to give me another opportunity to get in the free market and just to go from there.”
The rationale is on par with a player who represented himself in the negotiations. Tunsil is about maximizing a time in his life where the earning potential is unparalleled compared to the rest of the world.
“I’ll get to free agency around 28, 29, so I feel like that was the best opportunity for me,” said Tunsil.
For now, it means the Texans will have a quality bookend for the next three seasons as Watson enters even further into his prime. In the future, it means the Texans will have another decision to make as to the direction they want to take at left tackle.
