PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have locked up their All-Pro guard before Week 1.
The team announced that David DeCastro has signed a new six-year contract, running through 2021. DeCastro's current deal was up after this season, and ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano reports the additional five years are worth $50 million. All told, the six-year deal is worth $58 million.
The Steelers don't negotiate in-season, so they beat their own deadline.
Prior to the announcement, DeCastro said he expected to sign very soon and is excited to remain with the franchise that selected him in the first round of the 2012 draft out of Stanford.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported the news.
DeCastro's deal exceeds Chicago Bears guard Kyle Long's four-year, $40 million contract in overall money but looks on par with Long in per-year average ($10 million). DeCastro will be one of the highest-paid NFL guards. Oakland Raiders guard Kelechi Osemele leads the way at nearly $12 million per year, but he might switch to tackle eventually.
In recent years, the Steelers have signed their starting offensive linemen to hefty contracts, including center Maurkice Pouncey (five years, $44 million), right tackle Marcus Gilbert (five years, $30 million) and guard Ramon Foster (three years, $9.6 million).