Made a healthy scratch in Week 13, Zach Cunningham is no longer with the Texans. The rebuilding team cut ties with the veteran linebacker Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Cunningham was scratched for disciplinary reasons Sunday, Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson tweets, and he may soon have a new home. The former second-round pick will head to waivers. He would pass through to free agency if unclaimed by Thursday afternoon.
David Culley had disciplined Cunningham at multiple points this season, including recently due to showing up late for a COVID-19 test, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Cunningham, 27, will follow Phillip Lindsay as a post-trade deadline Texans cut.
The Texans had previously reduced Cunningham’s playing time, but he had been back to an every-down player in recent weeks. Houston used Cunningham on every defensive snap during his final three games with the team. After the Texans’ new regime shopped Cunningham ahead of the deadline, no trade materialized. The team will cut its losses and do so with a big dead-money hit.
Because of the four-year, $58MM extension the parties agreed to in 2020, the Texans will be hit with $12.8MM in dead money. As for Cunningham’s prospects of being claimed, he is due less than $300K in base salary for the rest of this season. No guarantees remain on the off-ball linebacker’s deal beyond 2021, increasing the likelihood he will not make it to free agency this year. Cunningham’s contract does contain eight-figure base salaries from 2022-24, which would make him a potential 2022 cut candidate — should another team claim him by Thursday.
This marks a swift change for the Vanderbilt product. Cunningham led the NFL with 164 tackles last season. Houston had he and Benardrick McKinney signed to big-ticket inside-‘backer deals exiting last season. Now, both are gone.
Eagles always need a linebacker
Hello Steelers, he could be part of your Devin Bush replacement plan.
With a new team, Cunningham will probably bounce back. The Texans have been cycling through all of their veteran players under this regime. Players of course should always remain professional, but I’m not entirely surprised that Cunningham would be less motivated after being shopped in the offseason, watching the other veterans being let go, and seeing another losing season.
With all that said, he’s got a lot to prove now to his new team in regards to commitment and discipline, whomever that team is.
Surprised they just didn’t ship him off for a 5th 6th 7th at the deadline. Anything is better than letting him go for nothing.
That’s waaaaaay to logical for these idiots! Just another log to add to the dumpster fire!
Nobody was going to give these losers anything when they knew they the Texans would cut him
How is it that some guys with millions of dollars and rare gifts of talent can still become malcontents? You’d think gratitude would be the default emotion every time.
Maybe he wanted out?
Money doesn’t buy happiness, man. What if his gift is for something he doesn’t love doing? What if it’s just the weight of playing for that circus in Houston? You have to figure it can’t be easy putting in all of that work with little chance of winning. I could speculate on tons of reasons. It happens.
Cal is rondo your new screen name? Or maybe jack….kinda sounds more like jack, being in charge of team culture.
“Gratitude the default emotion” Gratitude should often be the default emotion, but this is real life not a fairy tale honey.
Cynical much? You must be a joy at parties.
Rumored replacement = CHUCK CUNNINGHAM !!
AAAAAAA!!!