KC Chiefs: The biggest swings Brett Veach can take at left tackle

Trade for Laremy Tunsil

If there’s a Trent Williams-esque move ahead of Brett Veach this offseason, this is it. With Williams locked up, the only other elite left tackle in the game who seems even remotely loose enough to be pulled like a tooth from his current roster is Laremy Tunsil.

Tunsil is a household name for NFL fans, whether from his nightmare of a draft day (detailed here) to the massive trade made by the Houston Texans to get him in 2019 to his elite level of play today. No matter what you know about him, the most important thing is that he’s an absolute marvel of a pass blocker who has made three of the last four Pro Bowls, even while playing for a pitiful Texans franchise.

The “ouch” factor here, however, is going to be huge for a lot of Chiefs fans—and it should feel that way. The Chiefs would not only have to compensate the Texans to move on from a 28-year-old Pro Bowl left tackle but they’d also have to pay the price for a shiny new extension since Tunsil is due to hit free agency in 2024. That said, Houston is going to have to extend him, too, knowing that his single-season cap hit in 2023 will be a whopping $35 million—yes, thirty-five.

Given the fact that Houston should be undergoing a wholesale rebuild under Demeco Ryans, it doesn’t make sense to hold onto an asset that is at his prime value right now like Tunsil. But Houston is also not going to give him away and his presence also helps along any new quarterback prospect instead of throwing him into the fire alongside another rookie tackle.

Would Veach pay through the nose here? Before you instinctually respond with a “no”, just remember that Veach would have said “yes” two years ago to this sort of move.

Why they wouldn’t do this: Draft picks! Money! The cost is exorbitant here and it’s hard not to accentuate it all with exclamation points!