Cunningham Reworks Contract

The inside linebacker is now signed through 2024 and provides salary cap relief for this season.

Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans created some much-needed salary-cap space on Thursday when they restructured the contract of inside linebacker Zach Cunningham.

A source confirmed the move, which was originally reported by ESPN.

Cunningham had been scheduled to count $10.4 million against the salary cap in 2022, but the restructure means the Titans will instead get $6 million of cap relief on the deal this year, per overthecap.com. It’s unclear what Cunningham’s cap hits will be in 2023 and 2024, the last two years of his contract. But they will rise to balance out the restructure for 2022.

Prior to the Cunningham restructure, the Titans were just $658,000 under the NFL salary cap, per overthecap. The new $6 million should give the Titans more opportunity to pursue free agents. The team has needs at wide receiver, tight end and on the offensive line. The Titans released wide receiver Julio Jones, have just one experienced tight end – Geoff Swaim – under contract, and have only three returning starters on the offensive line – left tackle Taylor Lewan, center Ben Jones and right guard Nate Davis – under contract.

Restructuring his deal does appear to solidify Cunningham’s status with the Titans moving forward.

Tennessee could have chosen to release the 6-foot-3, 238-pound Cunningham, which would have saved the team $10.4 million immediately.

A former Vanderbilt standout, Cunningham provided a quick boost for the defense after he was claimed up off waivers from Houston in December. He started the last four regular-season games for the Titans, making 25 tackles – including three tackles for loss. Cunningham totaled 10 tackles, one for loss, in the Titans’ playoff loss to Cincinnati.

The 27-year-old has history with coach Mike Vrabel, who served as the Texans’ defensive coordinator in 2017, Cunningham’s rookie season. In addition, the Titans this offseason hired Bobby King to coach inside linebackers. King coached Cunningham for four years, in 2017 as Houston’s linebackers coach and from 2018-20 as the Texans’ inside linebackers coach.

“I’ve worked with Bob,” Vrabel said at the NFL scouting combine. “That’s an important step in staff development, that there is loyalty, there is trust, there is an alignment and proficiency. Those are all things we look at.

“Having spent four years with most of you in discussing some of those things, those are critical to building a positive staff. A staff that, you know, has diversity amongst their peers -- how they reach the players and what their level of maturity is in a game. These are all things you take into account. And sometimes guys are available and sometimes they aren’t.

“I was able to get Bobby and add him to our football team, and he does have history with Zak, but I don’t think that was the number one factor for him joining our staff.”