Not to get all Andy Rooney on you, but there once was a time when if your favorite sports player signed a long-term contract extension with your favorite team, you could be secure in buying their jersey as there was little chance of a sudden divorce.
However, as athlete unions across the sports landscape have successfully collectively bargained for increased protections and more freedom to shop their talents and maximize their potential compensation, that dynamic has changed.
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Along with this newfound freedom have come some adjustments for the teams, for the players, and particularly for fans of the game, who have had to modify their fandom to deal with the new reality.
Free agency freedom is tough on fans, especially in Houston
Arguably, no city in America has suffered more than Houston has from athletes taking advantage of the ability to decide where they want to play.
Case in point: The NBA superstar James Harden had been named to seven consecutive NBA All-Star games, was first-team All-NBA six times, led the league in scoring three times, and was a former MVP when he requested a trade from the Houston Rockets at the start of the 2020-2021 season.
Harden’s request to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets surprised the Houston front office. Three years earlier Harden had signed a four-year contract extension, on top of the two years left on his current deal, for $160 million.
Combined with his previous contract, the six-year deal was the richest accord in NBA history and was supposed to keep Harden in H-Town through 2023 for $228 million guaranteed.
As shocking as the trade request was at the time, it wasn’t unusual in the NBA. Superstars demanding a trade after signing a long-term contract hasn’t been unusual for about a decade.
Harden’s departure turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg for the city of Houston.
The NFL wide receiver Deandre Hopkins also left Houston in 2020 after demanding a trade from the Texans. One year later, the edge rusher J.J. Watt also requested a trade out of Houston.
The team honored the requests, sending both to the Arizona Cardinals.
As if losing two All-Pro players from the same playoff team in consecutive off seasons wasn’t enough, the superstar quarterback Deshaun Watson was also unhappy with the team before forcing his way off the team via trade in the 2021 off season.
Laremy Tunsil (#78) of the Houston Texans walks out of the locker room prior to the AFC Division playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Geha Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Jan. 18, 2025.
Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
NFL free agency season is much more exciting than it used to be
Fast forward to 2025 and the Houston Texans have more than fully recovered from that talent exodus.
But after they not only made the playoffs for two years running, but also won a playoff game before being eliminated for two years running, the Texans decided to trade Laremy Tunsil, arguably their best player, to the Washington Commanders.
Texans fans, who may be a little jaded after the rough few years they’ve had, were apoplectic about the news.
Due to his issues with penalties, he led the league in 2024, according to The Football Database. Some fans even cheered the trade of the five-time Pro-Bowler (including the past three seasons).
What was your most memorable Laremy Tunsil as a Texan moment? I’ll start: pic.twitter.com/ZMixQraU2k
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) March 11, 2025
But even with a fanbase as heavily scarred as that of the Houston Texans, it has to sting just a little bit to see another top player leave the city prematurely.
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After all, it was less than two years ago that Tunsil signed a three-year $75 million extension (as much as $60 million guaranteed). That deal made him the league’s highest-paid player at his position and was supposed to keep him in Texas at least through 2027.
Now the perennial Pro Bowl player is out the door, leaving the Houston Texans with a gaping hole at one of the most important positions.
And Houston’s fans are scratching their heads, wondering when this nightmare will end.
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