Tag: Laremy Tunsil

Laremy Tunsil is turning his infamous NFL Draft gas mask moment into an NFT for a really good cause

Tunsil is using his lowest moment, in part, to help others.

Moments before the 2016 NFL Draft, video circulated online that showed prospect Laremy Tunsil wearing a gas mask and smoking an unidentified substance from a bong. The video, posted on Tunsil’s own Twitter account, caused the Ole Miss left tackle to slide from a possible spot as the top overall pick all the way to 13th. It was a chain of events that cost him millions of dollars thanks to the way the league ties rookie contract value to draft position.

Six years later, Tunsil will use that leaked video to make money instead. Wednesday, one day before the 2022 NFL Draft, he announced he’ll mint the moment as a one-of-one NFT and donate a portion of its sale price to the nonprofit Last Prisoner Project.

The Last Prisoner Project describes itself as an organization “dedicated to repairing the harms of the criminalization of cannabis through intervention, advocacy, and awareness.” It’s a worthy cause for Tunsil, who saw his draft stock tanked in part due to how NFL teams viewed marijuana use in 2016.

The league has softened its stance on the drug considerably in recent years as more and more states — 19 including the District of Columbia — have legalized its recreational use. The NFL no longer tests for marijuana between April and August. The threshold for a positive in-season weed test was also raised from 35 nanograms per milliliter of urine to 150 in that 2021 rulebook change.

Tunsil overcame his draft day tumble to become the league’s highest-paid offensive lineman in 2020 by signing a three-year, $66 million contract extension with the Houston Texans. By minting one of the lowest moments of his career, he’ll have the opportunity to help others who had their plans waylaid by marijuana-related penalties.

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Former Dolphins’ top pick Laremy Tunsil minting NFT of infamous gas mask video

A portion of the proceeds will benefit a charity that he has chosen.

The Miami Dolphins were more than happy to select Laremy Tunsil with pick No. 13 in the 2016 NFL draft after a video posted on his Instagram account that depicted the offensive line prospect smoking with a gas mask on.

His agent claimed that his account was hacked, but that didn’t stop teams ahead of Miami to remove him from their draft board, affording the Dolphins the opportunity to grab a potential franchise-altering tackle.

Now, after six years and some Pro Bowl seasons, Tunsil is still being asked about the moment that cost him to drop in 2016. However, Tunsil took to Twitter on Wednesday to say that he’s ready to move on from the infamous video. He explains that he will be minting an NFT of it and giving a portion of the proceeds to charity.

Tunsil may not have been with the Dolphins for the long term, but they’re still seeing the effects of his trade almost four years later. Now, someone has a chance to own a piece of NFL history that will never be forgotten.

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Texans roster needs have clarity after first wave of free agency

The Houston Texans’ roster needs have actually gained some clarity through the team’s initial free agency moves.

The Houston Texans made the most they could with free agency. In fact, their biggest move wasn’t even a signing; it was the trading of quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns.

After the first wave of free agency, where do the Texans stand? What holes do they need to fill throughout their roster?

According to Anthony Treash from Pro Football Focus, every position is fair game on Houston’s roster after free agency.

Let’s not sugarcoat it — this roster is not in good shape. Everyone associated with the organization would likely agree.

The Texans generated 1.7 WAR in 2021. Not only is that the lowest of the 32 teams, but it’s lower than half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL alone.

Davis Mills exceeded expectations in a couple of games during his rookie campaign, but the third-round pick still finished the year with a 58.3 PFF grade. Any thought of him being the long-term solution at signal-caller is premature.

Houston’s free-agency plan was reminiscent of last season when they shelled out short-term, mediocre deals. This regime is setting up to build up the franchise in the next offseason and beyond — don’t expect them to compete in 2022.

Both statements can be true: Houston’s roster is not in good shape, and they also don’t need help at every position.

Take quarterback. It may be premature to say Mills is the answer long-term at quarterback, but he is the 2022 answer, and it would be a waste of resources to just take a first-round quarterback when they could add a playmaker at another position.

Take the Texans’ tackles. Do the Texans need to address their bookends when Laremy Tunsil is coming back and former 2019 first-rounder Tytus Howard is entering the final year of his contract?

The Texans’ roster still needs work after the first wave of free agency, but not every position needs to be addressed going into the draft.

Texans LT Laremy Tunsil isn’t leaving — Jordan Belfort style

Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil restructured his contract, and posted a clip from “Wolf of Wall Street” to make his point.

The Houston Texans and left tackle Laremy Tunsil are going to make it work for 2022.

Tunsil took to Twitter to post a nine-second clip from “Wolf of Wall Street” where the protagonist, Jordan Belfort, announces he isn’t going to resign from his job.

The specifics of why the two-time Pro Bowler won’t be going anywhere this season is because the Texans restructured Tunsil’s contract, converting his $17.85 million salary into a $16.815 million roster bonus, according to Aaron Wilson from the Pro Football Network. Tunsil’s salary is now $1.035 million.

For the Texans’ salary cap, Tunsil will count $17.7 million as opposed to $26.1 million. The former Miami Dolphins 2016 first-round pick will still have an $18.5 million salary for 2023.

There was some question as to whether Tunsil would remain in Houston as general manager Nick Caserio appeared noncommittal to the left tackle in an interview with “Payne & Pendergast” on Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] on Jan. 18.

““I would say every situation, every player is in different circumstances,” Caserio said. “The injury that he sustained, whenever it was, you know, was a legitimate injury, and as we work through the process, every player has to work through some things, and in the end, it didn’t work out and Laremy didn’t end up playing for the duration of the season. Again, we can’t worry about what happened last year. We’re going to focus on this upcoming season.”

Tunsil sustained a thumb injury that limited him to five games for 2021.

New offensive line coach George Warhop also seemed to shy away from questions about Tunsil when he met with reporters on Feb. 22.

“I’ve barely had enough time to call my wife at this point,” said Warhop. “So, I’m going to love Laremy Tunsil, but I love my wife. So, I’m always going to make sure I’m calling her. When I get to him, I will get to him.”

With Tunsil coming back for 2022, Warhop will learn to love Tunsil.

Laremy Tunsil commitment paves path for Texans to draft S Kyle Hamilton

The Laremy Tunsil contract restructure allows the Houston Texans to pursue Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton with a clear conscience at No. 3 overall.

After an offseason of trade speculation, left tackle Laremy Tunsil finally spoke out on his future with the Houston Texans on Tuesday.

He isn’t going anywhere.

After two Pro Bowl appearances in 2019 and 2020, Tunsil appeared in only five games during the 2021 campaign. With Houston in the midst of a rebuild and speculation that Tunsil had held out intentionally, there were reports that many teams were interested in acquiring the 27-year-old’s services. A hashtag amongst the Cincinnati fanbase, #TunsilToTheJungle, was even trending at one point.

However, it’s official. Tunsil is returning and will block for the blindside of second year quarterback Davis Mills during 2022. 2019 first-round pick Tytus Howard is projected to remain at the tackle position and will hold down the opposite spot. Suddenly, Houston has a very promising tackle duo to protect their young signal caller.

The Tunsil announcements also has major implications elsewhere. Specifically, on the NFL draft and Houston’s selection at No. 3 overall.

Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is considered a virtual lock to go first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Afterwards, Detroit will have their pick between either Kayvon Thibodeaux or the top tackle in the draft with many analysts drawing connections between the Lions and Thibodeaux.

With the security of both Tunsil and Howard moving forward, Houston can officially go best player available at third overall. There’s no need to force the value pick of a tackle during the top-5.

The door is officially open for Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.

Hamilton, the consensus best safety in the draft and generally regarded as one of the five best players, has been the subject of controversy. He’s considered a relatively “sure thing” but his positional value at safety and slow 40-time at the combine have left evaluators all over the place in where to project his draft position.

For Houston, Hamilton would immediately represent the most talented player on their defense and a chess piece for new head coach Lovie Smith. The free safety has the tackling ability to serve as a major asset in the run game and projects as an elite pass defender on third downs.

Houston seems secure amongst their offensive line at the two most important positions. For a team that needs good football players, the ability to go best player available is a blessing.

No. 3 overall will reveal whether general manager Nick Caserio agrees.

Bengals’ Mike Hilton appears to recruit Texans’ OT Laremy Tunsil

A Bengals CB is out here trying to make the team better.

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It’s recruiting season for the Cincinnati Bengals on the heels of a Super Bowl appearance.

Case in point, cornerback Mike Hilton, who appeared to throw out a line to Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil on Monday, tweeting “we need to talk” at Tunsil, who had tweeted “Is there more?”

This might normally seem like a stretch, but earlier Monday morning, speculation about a Tunsil trade made the rounds on Twitter.

Players recruiting or lobbying publicly isn’t a new thing for this new crop of Bengals. Hilton and Logan Wilson campaigned for a Jessie Bates extension the day before this. A year ago, Tyler Boyd was trying to recruit J.J. Watt and Sam Hubbard is the one who recruited Vonn Bell.

Tunsil, 27, was the 13th pick in 2016 by Miami and was traded to Houston after three seasons, where he’s spent the last three seasons. He’s got one season left on his current deal, so if the Bengals traded for him, they’d be on the hook for roughly $18 million. He would, on paper, likely line up at left tackle, letting Jonah Williams kick elsewhere to provide an upgrade at another spot.

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Texans pick OT Ikem Ekwonu in Pro Football Focus 2-round mock draft

The Houston Texans take North Carolina State tackle Ikem Ekwonu in the latest two-round mock draft from Pro Football Focus.

The Houston Texans need help along the offensive line. The question to be answered all offseason is: do they need it bad enough at No. 3 overall in the 2022 NFL draft?

According to Austin Gayle from Pro Football Focus, the Texans do need offensive line help that desperately and use the third pick in the draft to take North Carolina State tackle Ikem Ekwonu after Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux go to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions respectively.

At 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, Ekwonu has guard-tackle versatility but earned a legitimate shot to start his NFL career at offensive tackle after his spectacular 2021 campaign at left tackle with the Wolfpack. He earned a 91.6 overall grade and 93.8 run-blocking grade across more than 800 offensive snaps this season, the latter of which ranks sixth among all single-season marks for Power Five tackles since 2014. He’s a true road-grader in the run game with improved polish and footwork in pass protection. A player with his skill set shouldn’t fall past the first 10 picks in the draft.

Other prospects linked to Texans such as LSU cornerback Derek Stingley and Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton go off the board at No. 4 overall to the New York Jets and No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons.

If the Texans are in the market for Ekwonu, who they take over Alabama tackle Evan Neal (No. 5 to the New York Giants), it means they have traded Laremy Tunsil by this point — or at a minimum see him as trade bait at other points in training camp and preseason.

From a football standpoint, presuming Tunsil stays in Houston, the Texans could move Ekwonu at right tackle and keep Tytus Howard inside at left guard.

Taking an offensive lineman wouldn’t be the flashy pick some would hope at No. 3 overall, but whatever it takes to complete the rebuild is ultimately what Houston sports are looking for.

Can Texans trade LT Laremy Tunsil to the Bengals?

The Cincinnati Bengals could use some offensive line help. Do the Houston Texans have a partner to trade LT Laremy Tunsil?

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans are entering an offseason where their roster could experience a significant amount of reconstruction beyond the inevitable departure of Deshaun Watson. And joining the disgruntled quarterback who could be on their way out of Houston is Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

Tunsil, who has two years left on his contract, is set to make a tad over $26.0 million in 2022 — which is not the ideal situation for a team in the early stages of a rebuild. And after sustaining a thumb injury that was slated to take a recovery time of four weeks, Tunsil appeared in five games for the Texans amid their 4-13 campaign.

It’s uncertain what the future has in store for Tunsil, but it appears that general manager Nick Caserio will keep his options open when constructing the Texans’ roster for 2022. Could a trade be over the horizon for one of the best offensive linemen in the league today?

“We’re going through the evaluation of our team and where we’re at,” Caserio said during his exclusive interview with Payne & Pendergast on Jan. 18. “We’ll go through our team whenever we do get the head coach in place, we’ll probably have to bring them up to speed, I’ll probably have to bring them up to speed on where we are from a personnel standpoint. So, I would say Laremy would fall under that category just like everybody else.”

Should the Texans move on from Tunsil this offseason, Houston could have a suitable contender in the Cincinnati Bengals for his services.

For the first time since 1988, the Bengals have advanced to the AFC Championship Game, and Cincinnati has a realistic chance to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LVI by defeating the Kansa City Chiefs on Sunday.

But to improve their chances of reaching the Super Bowl, the Bengals must find a way to protect Joe Burrow against the Chiefs’ pass-rush — a simple task Cincinnati’s offensive line has failed to accompish throughout the 2021 season.

Burrow led the league in sacks with 51 throughout the 2021 campaign, but the Bengals’ struggles to protect their franchise quarterback were on full display amid their 19-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Burrow, who threw for 348 yards in the win, was sacked nine times at Nissan Stadium against the Titans on Sunday.

For the Bengals to fully maximize Burrow’s potential, one can assume that revamping their offensive line will be the top priority for the organization this offseason. And the Texans could assist the Bengals in obtaining a foundational piece on their offensive line.

The Bengals’ need to upgrade their offensive line is similar to the Texans’ situation in 2019, which led to Houston acquiring Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins for two first-round picks (2020, 2021) and a 2021 second-round selection in exchange.

The Texans may not receive the same haul that ushered in the University of Mississippi prodigy. But a high draft selection from Cincinnati could be enough for Houston to move on from Tunsil.

CBS Sports mock has Texans drafting OL Ikem Ekwonu No. 3 overall

The Houston Texans address the offensive line with North Carolina State tackle Ikem Ekwonu in the latest CBS Sports mock draft.

The consensus in mock drafts is that Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson will be gone by the time the Houston Texans pick at No. 3 overall in the 2022 NFL draft.

Mock drafts then divert at the No. 3 pick by having the Texans either address the secondary with safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Derek Stingley, or even fix the offensive line with Alabama tackle Evan Neal.

According to Ryan Wilson from CBS Sports, not only do the Texans miss out on the draft’s two dominant edge rushers, but they also pass on fixing the secondary and go straight to the offensive line with the selection of North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu.

Davis Mills played some pretty good football down the stretch, and it sure seems like the team will move forward with him, at least for another season. (Of course, this all depends on the next coach but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.) And if that’s the plan, it seems reasonable to protect him. Ekwonu, meanwhile, is one of our favorite players in this draft class. There’s talk that he may have to move inside to guard but when you watch him play, he’s perfectly suited to be a dominant tackle, which is exactly what Houston needs.

Taking Ekwonu would be the move Houston would make after the trading of Laremy Tunsil. It isn’t a move that the Texans would make if they were still stacked at their bookend positions. 2022 figures to be a pivotal year for Tytus Howard, who has shown that he can move between tackle and guard. Howard played his best football on the outside, and he figures to man one of the tackle spots next season.

The downside to getting Ekwonu is his relative youth along with where he would be taken in the top-5. At that high of a draft spot, Houston needs an immediately impact player, not someone who needs a little time to develop.

Will the Texans move on from LT Laremy Tunsil in the offseason?

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio talked about Laremy Tunsil’s injury status in 2021 and his future with @sportsradio610.

The Houston Texans gave up a left tackle’s ransom to acquire Laremy Tunsil. In return, the Miami Dolphins received two first-round picks (2020, 2021) and a 2021 second-round selection as part of the exchange to send Tunsil to the Texans at the end of the 2019 preseason.

The Texans got 28 games out of Tunsil from 2019-20, and he earned his first two career Pro Bowl selections in the process.

In 2021, the Texans didn’t see their Pro Bowl left tackle after Week 5 when Houston fell to 1-4 on the season following a 25-22 loss to the New England Patriots at NRG Stadium. Despite being projected to only be out four weeks, Tunsil never played another down for Houston after his thumb surgery.

General manager Nick Caserio joined “Payne & Pendergast” on Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] Tuesday and said the Texans can’t do anything about the past; they have to move forward.

“We can’t worry about what happened last year,” said Caserio. “We’re going to focus on this upcoming season. To your point, Sean, we’re going through the evaluation of our team, where we’re at. I think we have, want to say, 45, 46 players that are currently under contract for next year, including some of the reserve/future players, practice squad-ish players that we signed after the season. We’ll talk about everybody.”

The key piece the Texans are lacking at the moment is a coach. The Texans are searching for their fifth coach in team history after firing David Culley following a 4-13 finish in his lone season on the sidelines.

“We’ll go through our team whenever we do get the head coach in place,” said Caserio. “We’ll probably have to bring them up to speed, I’ll probably have to bring them up to speed on where we are from a personnel standpoint. So, I would say Laremy would fall under that category just like everybody else.”

Tunsil has two years remaining on his contract, and is set to count $26,803,334 against the Texans’ cap in 2022.