The Houston Texans have a rather sticky financial situation heading into the offseason that could prevent them from making any significant moves.
Currently, the Texans have minus-$2.4 million in cap room. Yes, they're in the red.
Houston obviously needs to get things in order before the new league year begins in March, even if it still won't be able to open a ton of space to add pieces.
So, what can the Texans do to actually clear some money?
Well, John Crumpler of USA Today has offered a potential solution: restructuring Laremy Tunsil's contract.
Houston can free up to $11.5 million by restructuring Tunsil's deal, and while that won't instantly solve all of the Texans' salary-cap issues, it would certainly make things more palatable.
"The Texans could pay Tunsil a bulk sum to lower his cap number and therefore have more money to spend on free agents or in-house extensions in the 2024 offseason," Crumpler wrote. "This would not only allow them to be more aggressive with the market but also to be more intentional in who they retain."
Crumpler notes that Houston can lower Tunsil's cap number for 2024 and spread it out over the remainder of his contract, which runs through 2026.
Of course, the caveat would be that Tunsil's cap hit would then increase in 2025 and 2026, and the Texans may be faced with a similar situation all over again.
Still, Houston does need to be focused on making win-now moves, as it has won playoff games two years in a row but still obviously needs more pieces to make a deeper run.
If that means making the circumstances easier in the short term, then so be it.
Tunsil has made five Pro Bowls with the Texans since being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins in December 2019.
