Jan. 12, 2026, 4:15 a.m. ET

Laremy Tunsil continues to send a message to the Washington Commanders. Tunsil just finished his first season with Washington after coming over last offseason in a trade with the Houston Texans. Tunsil was phenomenal, drawing praise from general manager Adam Peters in his season-ending press conference.

“I thought, you know, he was one of the better left tackles, if not the best in the league,” Peters said. “He didn’t get recognition for the Pro Bowl, which I was disappointed in, but if you look at the metrics, he did a great job.”

Tunsil has one season remaining on his contract. There is no guaranteed money left. He wants another contract extension. He acknowledged as much to Tashan Reed of The Washington Post in December.

“Whatever happens, happens,” Tunsil said. “Of course, I want to be paid. Of course, I want to stay with this organization…….When we get to the offseason, we can handle it.”

That’s fair. But Tunsil raised the stakes last week when he saw Seahawks left tackle Charles Cross’ new contract extension. Tunsil posted a graphic of Cross’s deal on Instagram. He didn’t say a word, but you knew the intent.

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Peters wants to get a deal done and avoid repeating the Terry McLaurin situation.

After Peters’ press conference last week, Tunsil sent yet another message to the Commanders.

The Commanders cannot afford to let this situation drag out. Tunsil has earned the extension. He’s one of the best in the NFL, and Peters is on record saying as much. Washington is entering a critical third year under Peters and Dan Quinn. David Blough is the new offensive coordinator. The 30-year-old is making a big jump from assistant quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. Having one of the franchise’s most important players, the one charged with protecting Jayden Daniels’ blind side, needs to be on the field, happy and healthy.

Don’t be surprised if Tunsil doesn’t keep sending subtle messages to the front office until something gets done. We are going to see if Peters learned his lesson.