Cushing, Texans agree on extension
Linebacker Brian Cushing agreed to a long-term contract extension with the Houston Texans on Tuesday, according to reports.
The extension runs for for six years and is worth $55.643 million, including $21 million guaranteed, NFL.com reported. Cushing was entering the final season of the five-year contract he signed after the Texans drafted him in the first round in 2009.
The 26-year-old is coming off a 2012 season that was ended in the fifth game with a torn ACL by a block that has since been declared illegal.
Cushing said he likes playing in Houston and sought a long-term deal with the Texans rather than wait until March to become a free agent and test the market.
"Because of my injury, (negotiations) were pushed back," he said last week. "But I want to be here. There's no hiding that."
Cushing is part of what the defending AFC South champion Texans hope will be a formidable defense this year that includes defensive end J.J. Watt and cornerback Johnathan Joseph.
In Cushing's rookie season in 2009, he had 134 tackles and four interceptions. In 2011, he compiled 114 tackles and two interceptions.
