Sources: Houston Texans agree to $48M deal with DeMeco Ryans

Pro Bowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans agreed to a six-year, $48 million deal that makes him one of the game's highest paid linebackers and ties him to the franchise through the 2015 season, according to sources.

Kuharsky: Texans Show Commitment

For right not, any questions about owner Bob McNair's willingness to open the vault for the deserving should be tabled, writes ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky. Blog

•Blog network: NFL Nation

The deal includes $21.75 million guaranteed and $26.3 million in the first three years of the contract, according to sources.

The two sides were working on the deal throughout the offseason and wrapped it up Tuesday afternoon.

Houston selected Ryan out of the University of Alabama in the second round of the 2006 draft. He quickly emerged as one of the top young defensive players in the league and a building block for the Texans.

Ryans was the 2006 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and is the leader of a young Houston team that went 9-7 last season for its first winning record. He was a restricted free agent.

Ryans had 123 tackles and a sack and made the Pro Bowl last season. He has had at least 110 tackles in each of his four years in the NFL and posted a career-best 155 stops as a rookie.

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