The Houston Texans have two big contract extensions on the horizon with left tackle Laremy Tunsil and quarterback Deshaun Watson.
While Tunsil is set to enter the final year of his contract, the Texans technically are about to enter their last year with Watson. However, if Houston chooses to exercise their fifth-year option, they will have the two-time Pro Bowler under contract through the 2021 season.
It kicks the can down the road, avoiding the inevitable: how much would it cost to extend Watson? What is his price tag?
Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports was writing about a Watson-to-Patriots trade scenario, but he actually dropped in some interesting information on the price tag for Watson’s contract extension that seems more realistic than the Texans parting ways with their 2017 first-round pick.
The biggest holdup for New England might not even be trade compensation, but rather Watson’s inevitable future contract. Asked about the Texans QB’s long-term value, one NFL source assured CBS Sports that Watson is more than a $100 million investment: “If Patrick Mahomes gets $250 million with $150 million guaranteed,” the source said, “Watson gets $200 million with $130 million guaranteed,” meaning the Pats could ultimately be on the hook for an average annual salary of between $40 and $50 million.
The $200 million threshold fits in with what the Chiefs Wire has reported regarding an extension of Mahomes, who, like Watson, is a former 2017 first-round pick and his club can keep him under contract through 2021 on his rookie deal.
Currently, according to Over The Cap, the Texans’ salary cap is $34.9 million, the second-highest cap space in the NFL. Houston is on the hook for $4.4 million of Watson’s contract in 2020. If the Texans were to exercise the fifth-year option, Watson’s 2021 contract would be fully guaranteed.
The challenge for coach and general manager Bill O’Brien will be rewarding Watson for his due contract extension while at the same time having money left over to surround him with a winning supporting cast.
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