The Houston Texans are leading the NFL in at least one category in the 2020 offseason.
After the first wave of free agency, the Texans have topped the rest of the league in salary cap space. According to Field Yates of ESPN, the AFC South champions have a salary cap space of $49.3 million, which includes moves that have already been made official.
Official cap space by teams 1-11 (includes moves officially made):
1. HOU: 49,257,819
2. NYJ: 45,016,813
3. CLE: 43,703,760
4. LAC: 37,553,266
5. TEN: 32,509,301
6. WAS: 31,468,435
7. DET: 31,369,450
8. DEN: 29,819,797
9. DAL: 28,560,313
10. PHI: 27,868,177
11. IND: 26,863,345— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 30, 2020
The nearly $50 million in cap space allows the Texans to figure out what they want to do with the contracts of left tackle Laremy Tunsil and quarterback Deshaun Watson. Tunsil, who made his first career Pro Bowl last season, is the biggest priority because he is entering the final season of his rookie contract, and the Texans could save cap space by reworking his contract.
Houston will have to start making decisions on Watson soon. The Texans are eligible to begin negotiating a contract extension now that he has completed his third season in the NFL. If Houston can’t get anything done with Watson, they still have the luxury of exercising his fifth-year option and keeping him under contract through the 2021 season.
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