The Washington Commanders aren’t playing around when it comes to protecting the most valuable asset the franchise has had in over 30 years in quarterback Jayden Daniels.
With Daniels as a rookie in 2024, the Commanders came just one win away from making it to the Super Bowl for the first time in 1991. They did so with Daniels essentially running for his life and with Cornelius Lucas and Brandon Coleman taking turns protecting his blind side at left offensive tackle.
In 2025, the Commanders decided they weren’t going to roll the dice at arguably the second most important position on offense and traded with the Houston Texans for 5-time Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Getting Tunsil was costly. In trade, it cost the Commanders a 2026 second round pick, 2026 fourth round pick, 2025 third round pick and 2025 seventh round pick.
In terms of finances, it will cost the Commanders $42.7 million over the final 2 years of his contract in 2025 and 2026, which will bring Tunsil’s career earnings to approximately $163.8 million in career earnings.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon thinks Tunsil’s juice isn’t worth the squeeze and put the 2016 first round pick on his list of the NFL’s “Most Overpaid Players” in 2025.
“This is a little complicated because Tunsil can at times be dominant and has a strong resume that includes five Pro Bowls,” Gagnon wrote on September 1. “And because the Houston Texans are still picking up much of the tab on a contract they handed to him in 2023, his deal isn’t too unfriendly to Washington … at 31 years old he may have lost a step, and the ridiculous 19 penalties he took in 2024 may be evidence of that.”
Tunsil Still Considered Among NFL’s Elite OTs
NFL executives, coaches and scouts put Tunsil at No. 7 on ESPN’s list of the Top 10 NFL offensive tackles in their annual preseason position rankings.
“Tunsil has long performed like a top-five tackle on our list, but miscues and the Texans’ offensive line struggles hurt his case this time around,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 13. “He has three consecutive seasons of committing at least 10 penalties, including 19 in 2024 … Evaluators still love his combination of footwork, agility and violence — and so did the Washington Commanders.”
One Of Wildest Moments In NFL Draft History
Unfortunately for Tunsil, no story about him is complete without mentioning the day he was drafted No. 13 overall by the Miami Dolphins.
As the draft started a video leaked online from Tunsil’s X account which showed him smoking out of a giant bong attached to a gas mask.
That was followed by a series of screenshots that appeared to show Tunsil’s family was receiving money from Ole Miss staff. Tunsil later admitted he took money while in college.
“A video posted to NFL prospect Laremy Tunsil’s verified Twitter account Thursday night showed the former Ole Miss offensive tackle wearing a gas mask and smoking a substance from a bong,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote in 2016. ” … Tunsil, one of the highest-rated prospects in the draft who at one point was considered a likely No. 1 overall pick, was picked No. 13 overall by the Miami Dolphins. Tunsil confirmed to ESPN’s Suzy Kolber that he was in the video, adding that he was ‘blessed’ to be picked by the Dolphins.”
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