Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro has agreed to a six-year contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers, reports Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The deal is worth $58.07 million, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
DeCastro, 26, has been a staple of the Steelers’ offensive line the past three seasons, missing just one game since 2013. He was scheduled to make just over $8 million in the final season of his rookie contract.
DeCastro’s new deal just goes to show how much the Steelers value their offensive line, which protects 34-year-old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and opens running lanes for All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell.
Via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler:
With David DeCastro’s new deal, the Steelers have signed offensive linemen to contracts worth up to $134 million (DeCastro $50, Maurkice Pouncey $44 M, Marcus Gilbert $30M, Ramon Foster $9.6 M, Alejandro Villanueva still on league minimum at $525,000).
According to Pro Football Focus, the Steelers had the 10th best offensive line in 2015 and rank 14th heading into this season. DeCastro and fellow Steelers guard Ramon Foster were both among the top 16 guards in the league last season.
The Steelers traditionally do not negotiate contracts once the regular seasons begins, so they got it done right at the last minute, with the 2016 season about to kick off tonight.
