Zach Cunningham has become a key member of the Houston Texans' defense in his first three seasons and they are now paying him like it.

According to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Cunningham has agreed to an extension with the Texans worth $14.5 million per year.

Cunningham was a second-round pick by the Texans in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Vanderbilt. In his rookie season with Houston, Cunningham contributed 90 tackles, six pass breakups, and a forced fumble.

After his productive rookie season, Cunningham has evolved into a leader in Houston's defense. The Vanderbilt product has combined for 249 tackles, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and an interception since 2018.

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Altogether, Cunningham's new extension will be worth $58 million over four years. That means that Cunningham will be manning the middle of Houston's defense for the foreseeable future.

Entering the 2020 season, Cunningham was going to be playing the final year of his rookie contract. The former second-round selection was set to make $1.07 million this season.

But upon putting pen to paper on his new extension, Cunningham is now the third highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL. Bobby Wagner and C.J. Mosley are the only two inside linebackers in the NFL paid more annually than Cunningham. Last offseason, Wagner and Mosley inked deals worth $17-plus million annually with their respective teams.

Earlier this offseason, the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins partly due to not wanting to give him more money on his current deal. Just months later, Houston is shelling out a boatload of money for Cunningham. Despite the head-scratching move involving Hopkins, Cunningham is more than deserving of his newly signed contract.