Is a Laremy Tunsil trade to the Chiefs still a possibility? (UPDATE)

UPDATE 3/14/22 at 9:50 central: 

It appears a Tunsil trade to the Chiefs may not be dead after all. Aaron Wilson, who we mentioned in our story yesterday, had an update on Tunsil’s situation and confirmed that Brett Veach has talked to the Texans about acquiring Tunsil.

Not only has Veach talked to Tunsil, but according to Wilson, but the Chiefs have also actually talked to people who know Tunsil to find our what he is “all about.”

He added about Jawaan Taylor: “While they’re saying he is moving from right tackle to left tackle, he’s so athletic and he can do it, we’ll see. I think some of that stuff was to throw people off the sniff.”

Ah-ha! Yesterday I wrote that while I thought it might be a “galaxy brain” idea that it was possible the Chiefs put that statement out to potentially drive down the price of Tunsil and/or make other teams think they were out of the running.

If you want the Chiefs to potentially have the best offensive line in the NFL, this is good news. “Tunsil Watch” is definitely back on for the Chiefs Kingdom, at least for now.

As we mentioned yesterday in the story below, Tunsil is not going to be cheap. His new deal will likely reset the left tackle market and the Chiefs will have to part with premium draft picks to acquire him. We all know Brett Veach likes to go big game hunting so keep it here at Arrowhead Addict for updates.

Original story published 3/13/22:

In the days leading up to NFL Free Agency, it became clear that the Kansas City Chiefs were unlikely to re-sign starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.. Brown, who the Chiefs used the Franchise Tag on last offseason, reportedly wants to be paid like a top player at his position. As Free Agency inched closer and Brown still hadn’t inked a long-term deal, many Chiefs pundits assumed that Kansas City would use the Franchise Tag on Brown one more time. Those predictions turned out to be incorrect.

Last week it was reported that the Chiefs would not use the Franchise Tag on Brown and when the deadline for them to do so came and went, many in the Chiefs Kingdom were left wondering what GM Brett Veach had planned. Some reckoned that Brown could still be signed to a long-term deal while others looked to other options.

Enter Laremy Tunsil.

Tunsil is not due to be a free agent but rumors have been swirling all offseason that the Houston Texans, Tunsil’s current team, might make him available in a trade. Considered one of the best left tackles in the NFL and entering the final year of his deal, Tunsil is likely to get a big contract that the rebuilding Texans might not be willing to pay. The Chiefs, while they might not have been keen to spend big on Brown Jr., might feel differently about paying a player the caliber of Tunsil and so the speculation began.

When the legal tampering period opened today, the Chiefs did indeed make a big splash by acquiring a tackle. Only his name wasn’t Laremy Tunsil.

Earlier Monday afternoon it was reported that the Chiefs agreed to terms with free agent right tackle Jawaan Taylor.

$80 million and $60 million guaranteed is a big deal for a right tackle but reports quickly came out that the Chiefs planned to move Taylor to the left side. The initial report came from James Palmer, who is extremely tapped into the Chiefs.

More reports followed Palmers. The general consensus from various reporters was that the Chiefs believe Taylor is an excellent athlete who they think can easily make the transition from right tackle to left. If Taylor is expected to play on the left side, the Chiefs will still have a hole at right tackle. Last year’s starter Andrew Wylie is also a free agent and agreed to a deal Monday with the Washington Commanders.

So that settles it, right? The Chiefs gave a big contract to Taylor and hope that the 25-year-old former Jaguar can be their long-term answer for protecting Patrick Mahomes’ blindside. That would mean Laremy Tunsil is off the table, right?

Not so fast.

Could the Kansas City Chiefs still trade for Laremy Tunsil?

Just minutes before the Taylor signing was announced, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston tweeted that he had sources claiming that Tunsil had been discussed in potential trade scenarios with the Chiefs.

Even ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wondered if a Tunsil deal, while unlikely, was still in the cards.

While the thought of the Chiefs dealing for Tunsil after acquiring Taylor is certainly intriguing, it is probably a longshot. Yes, adding Tunsil would mean the Chiefs would feature potentially the NFL’s best offensive line. Imagine Tunsil joining Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith and Taylor. The Chiefs would be upgrading both tackle spots on an already excellent line that helped Kansas City win the Super Bowl last year.

As exciting as that all sounds, the cost for Tunsil is likely too high for the Chiefs. Arrowhead Addict’s Adam Best proposed what he would be willing to give up for Tunsil last night on Twitter:

That is a lot of draft capital to give up for the Chiefs but Veach has shown he is willing to do just that. Remember, the Chiefs traded their 2021 first-, third- and fourth-round picks, along with a 2022 fifth-rounder in exchange for Brown Jr.. Baltimore also sent the Chiefs a 2021 second-rounder and a 2022 sixth-round pick in the deal.

While the Chiefs might be willing to part with premium picks for a player the caliber of Tunsil, they will also have to pay him. As Barnewell pointed out, having already committed to $60 million guaranteed to Jawaan Taylor, it is hard to envision the Chiefs also finding the cash to pay Tunsil after a trade.

Another thing to consider is that the NFL Draft is in Kansas City this year. Many Chiefs fans believe that the team’s owner, Clark Hunt, will want to ensure his team has a first-round pick the year that his team’s city is hosting the event. While this could be possible, I don’t buy it. While I think Hunt and the Chiefs would like to have a first-round pick next month, if Brett Veach thinks trading the team’s 2023 first-rounder will help Kansas City hoist another Lombardi, I don’t see Hunt standing in his way.

Lastly, if the Chiefs really were still trying to trade for Tunsil, why would they put it out there that they planned to move Taylor to the left side?

The only reason I can think for the Chiefs to do that would be if they were trying to play some serious chess and drive down the asking price for Tunsil. Say the Chiefs made the Texans an offer for Tunsil but Houston rejected it. With free agents free to negotiate, the Chiefs couldn’t afford to wait on a deal, given that they were set to lose both of their starting tackles, so they went ahead and snatched up Taylor and put it out there that they thought he could move to the left side for them. It is possible that if the Texans are really desperate to move Tunsil but didn’t have any offers they liked that they could call Kansas City back and try to work something out. This is some real galaxy brain stuff but it isn’t impossible. This is the NFL after all and you can never say never. We have seen some wild stuff happen this time of year.

Bottom line: Don’t expect the Chiefs to trade for Laremy Tunsil following the Jawaan Taylor deal. The Chiefs have other players they are looking to re-sign and the price tag, both in draft picks and salary cap, is probably too high.