HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- Zach Cunningham is not a man of many words.
The Texans' fourth-year inside linebacker keeps a low profile and is known more for his play on the field than anything he's ever said.
That was the theme of how he answered questions about his impending contract negotiations with the Texans.
After the team inked star left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the richest deal for an offensive lineman this offseason, the priority contract extension aside from quarterback Deshaun Watson became Cunningham, a second-round pick by the Texans the same year they took Watson in 2017.
Cunningham, who led the AFC in tackles last season, has emerged as one of the game's top linebackers.
The highest paid players at his position make between $14 million and $17 million a year, but Cunningham's base salary on his rookie deal this season is just over $1 million.
Cunningham is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, meaning he's up for a huge payday one way or another.
“My approach, right now, is just letting my agent handle all the talks and stuff and the dealings behind the scenes," Cunningham said Friday during a Zoom conference. "I’m really just more focused on the season, trying to play the season out, doing my best I can for the season.”
Meanwhile, head coach-general manager Bill O'Brien is making it clear he intends to re-up Cunningham.
“We want Zach on our team," O'Brien said Friday. "We want Zach to be a Texan for a long time, no doubt about it. He’s just a really good player. He’s very instinctive. He’s got good speed. He can do a lot of different things within our scheme. He plays on special teams. He’s on the punt team. Really good guy. Same guy every day. We think that it would be great if he was with us for a long time.”
Cunningham said it's not difficult for him to compartmentalize his play and let the contract situation work itself out.
It'd be harder to believe if he wasn't known for being such a laid back guy.
“Being the person that I am, it’s pretty easy for me," Cunningham said. "I’m pretty low-key anyway. I keep a lot of stuff out of my head and just focus on what I have right in front of me.”