ESPN: Detroit Lions sign Alabama favorite star in a blockbuster deal.
Zach Cunningham, a former outstanding player at Pinson Valley High School, signed a contract with the Detroit Lions on Tuesday, the NFL organization announced.
Linebackers Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez will not be playing when Detroit begins the last part of their offseason program on Wednesday. Rodriguez is recuperating from a damaged anterior cruciate ligament that kept him out of the Lions’ last six games of the previous season, while Anzalone is not participating in the optional summer exercises as he looks for a new deal.
In 2025, Derrick Barnes, Jack Campbell, and Anzalone are anticipated to start at linebacker for Detroit.
Cunningham played 15 defensive snaps and 43 special teams plays in 2024 while playing for the Denver Broncos in seven regular-season games and one playoff game during his eighth NFL season.
As a linebacker at Pinson Valley, Cunningham was named to the All-State team in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, he was named the Class 5A Lineman of the Year after recording 197 tackles, 41 of which were below the line of scrimmage, and blocking four punts.
Cunningham joins Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson, and New Orleans Saints cornerback Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry as the fourth Pinson Valley alumnus now on NFL rosters.
In 2016, Cunningham became the first unanimous All-American for Vanderbilt, and the first consensus All-American for the Commodores in thirty-two years.
After being selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, Cunningham had 90 tackles in his rookie season, 107 in 2018, 142 in 2019, and an NFL-high 164 in 2020—including a league-high 106 solo tackles—after agreeing to a four-year, $58 million contract deal.
However, the Texans cut Cunningham after 10 games in the 2021 season, citing Houston’s linebacker issue off the field, according to coach David Culley.
Cunningham joined Tennessee as a waiver claim and finished the 2021 season playing for the Titans in the final four games of the regular season and one playoff game.
Cunningham missed two visits to injured reserve in 2022 due to an elbow issue that restricted him to six games.
Cunningham, who was a salary-cap casualty in Tennessee, joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 and collected 94 tackles while starting 11 games, including one in the playoffs.
