Texans' Zach Cunningham returns to work after skipping preseason game
Aug 30, 2021
Texans starting linebacker Zach Cunningham returned to work Monday.
Cunningham, the NFL's leading tackler last season, chose to skip the Texans' preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as practices late last week.
Texans coach David Culley characterized the absence as "personal reasons," and affirmed Monday that Cunningham was back at practice Monday.
The Texans restructured Cunningham's four-year, $58 million contract this offseason, accounting that lowered his salary-cap figure this year from $11.4 million to $5.767 million, according to NFL Players Association documents and league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
The Texans converted Cunningham's $8.5 million fully guaranteed base salary into a $7.51 million signing bonus and lowered his salary to $990,000 to add $5.63 million in salary cap space this year.
The leading tackler in the NFL last season, Cunningham was paid a $12 million signing bonus last year on a deal that includes $33.574 million total guaranteed.
Cunningham's $14.5 million annual average compensation ranks him third among inside linebackers in the league behind Bobby Wagner and C.J. Mosley.
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