Texans Extend Laremy Tunsil and Trade Brandin Cooks, Cowboys Out on OBJ? and Other NFL Bullets

Laremy Tunsil set out to reset the market for tackles this offseason, and he sure did. Tunsil and the Texans have agreed to a three-year, $75 million extension, according to multiple sources, including Tunsil himself on Twitter:

pic.twitter.com/1qeRcRpXP0
— Laremy Tunsil (@KingTunsil78) March 19, 2023

The deal includes $50 million fully guaranteed and $60 million in total guarantees. Tunsil’s extension makes him the highest-paid tackle inNFLhistory again after resetting the market for his position.

In 2020, Tunsil signed a three-year extension with Houston worth $66 million, with $57.85 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid tackle. He was passed by San Francisco’s Trent Williams and Green Bay’s David Bakhtiari in the years since and wanted to get back into that top spot this offseason.

There was chatter earlier in the week that Houston might trade Tunsil. Instead, the Texans secure a dominant defender for their next franchise quarterback, which they will draft next month. For Tunsil, the three-year deal allows him to become a free agent soon enough that he could cash in on a third massive contract before he’s done in the NFL.

It’s also worth pointing out that Tunil represents himself. So much has been said about whether a player should or shouldn’t have an agent in the wake of the stalled negotiations between Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. I would feel more comfortable having a professional agent, but it worked out well for Tunsil. It’s also worked out pretty well for Roquan Smith in Baltimore.

The Texans weren’t just dealing with the Tunsil extension today. Houston also traded Brandin Cooks to the Dallas Cowboys.

Texans trading WR Brandin Cooks to Cowboys for 2023 5th round pick + 2024 6th round pick. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/9Bbyq3E6cR
— NFL (@NFL) March 19, 2023

The Cowboys were looking for help at wide receiver this offseason, and Cooks fills that role. Houston will receive a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick in exchange for Cooks. Cooks caught 57 passes for 699 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games with the Texans last season, his third in Houston.

This is another sign that Dallas is going all-in for 2023. Adding Cooks to a thin wide receiver room for a couple of day three draft picks is a good deal for them. The Cowboys also added veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore last week in a trade with the Colts.

The Colts Are Trading CB Stephon Gilmore to the Cowboys

Cooks, 29, has recorded six 1,000-yard seasons in his eight-year career. His 8,616 career receiving yards are the 11th-most among active players. His elite speed is the calling card, but he’s a consistently great route runner and gets open all over the field.

So, does this trade take the Cowboys out of the Odell Beckham Jr. market? Beckham and the Cowboys met late last season when Dallas was looking to acquire a wide receiver for the stretch run and playoffs, but nothing materialized. Fast forward to today, and the Cowboys are among the teams still connected to OBJ after his workout last week in Arizona. However, one of those teams came at OBJ with a laughably low offer of $4 million, per Beckham Jr. himself:

I’m just so confused where the quote is from me tht said I want 20…..😭🙄all I’m sayin is 4 AINT enough
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) March 18, 2023

OBJ publicly slams the low-ball offer on Twitter on Saturday night, and before lunchtime on Sunday, the Cowboys trade for Brandin Cooks. Coincidence? Maybe, but I doubt it. I think that the Cowboys were willing to buy low (offensively low) on OBJ. Then, when they got their very public answer last night, they pulled the trigger on Cooks.

So, yeah. I would cross the Cowboys off of the list of potential OBJ suitors. Also worth noting is that the reports that OBJ is looking for $20 million might be slightly inflated.

Trea Turner’s grand slam in the WBC last night was ELECTRIC! The United States takes on Cuba tonight, and it’s the highlight of my lazy Sunday. If the US beats Cuba tonight, they’ll play in the championship on Tuesday.

UNBELIEVABLE Moment in USA-Venezuela: Trea Turner 8th Inning Grand Slam

The Blackhawks out-sucked the Coyotes in their college barn last night:

Blackhawks 2, Coyotes 4 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

written by

Patrick K. Flowers

Patrick grew up in Chicago's Bridgeport and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods before moving to the Western Suburbs of Chicago before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas area with his family in 2023. He started with Bleacher Nation in 2021 and has spent time as a Staff Writer and on the Chicago Blackhawks beat. He is currently a writer and editor at Bleacher Nation covering the Chicago Bears and the NFL at large and the author of the Bleacher Nation Newsletter. Patrick is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Texans Extend Laremy Tunsil and Trade Brandin Cooks, Cowboys Out on OBJ? and Other NFL Bullets - Bleacher Nation (2024)