(SportsRadio 610) - Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil's 2021 season will apparently end with just five games played.
Head coach David Culley told reporters Friday it is "unlikely" Tunsil returns with just two games remaining in the season.
The two-time Pro Bowl left tackle had surgery in October to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He has not played since Week 5 against the New England Patriots.
Now, a decision will have to be made this offseason whether Tunsil is part of the team's future plans.
The Texans traded for him in 2019, as Deshaun Watson was rising as a quarterback and they had sights on making a playoff run. Since then, Houston's seen back-to-back losing seasons and Watson - at odds with the franchise for nearly a year - is waiting to be traded.
Tunsil signed a three-year, $66 million contract extension with $50 million in total guarantees in 2020. After Nick Caserio took over as general manager earlier this year, Tunsil's contract was restructured to convert salary into signing bonus and create cap space in 2021.
But Tunsil has a cap hit just over $26 million in 2022 and closer to $26.8 million in 2023.
There are solid arguments for against trading Tunsil, as laid out by Aaron Reiss at The Athletic. Here is the long story short, from Reiss:
"It's worth keeping him because he's an elite player at a premium position who could play at a high level for another eight to 10 years, and the Texans are unlikely to find an equally good replacement.
"It's worth trading him because he could command another market-resetting contract before he's 30, he's already making a top-of-the-market salary, and the Texans don't have a franchise quarterback who can maximize the investment in Tunsil. Trading him for draft capital could help the Texans in their search for that quarterback, and nothing matters as much as that."
The Texans have Tytus Howard going into the fourth season of his rookie deal and also have to decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option. Howard has shown ability at both left tackle and could be an option as a replacement, or the Texans could seek one in the NFL Draft.
