The Tennessee Titans locked up a big part of their defense as they signed defensive lineman Jurrell Casey to a four-year extension worth north of $60 million on Friday.
Titans just signed DT Jurrell Casey to a 4-year, $60.4M extension, including $40M Gtd; had 2 years left on his deal. pic.twitter.com/BsiWph8PYU
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2017
Tennessee Titans Sign Jurrell Casey to Four-Year Extension
Ever since the Titans took him in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Casey has not wasted any time becoming one of the cornerstones of the team on defense. In 2013, his third season in the league, he racked up 10.5 sacks and earned a second team All-Pro nod by the Associated Press. But it was not until the last two seasons that he earned berths in the Pro Bowl.
His new deal certainly rewards him for his play with him set to pull in over $15 million a year. That makes him one of the highest paid defensive linemen in the league. Though not as much as J.J. Watt, Ndamukong Suh or Muhammad Wilkerson (and presumably Aaron Donald with his current contract dispute), it still signals that Casey has been one of the most productive interior linemen in the league. And it comes without the fame he’s due because of the market he is in.
This past season Casey ranked tenth among 125 interior defensive linemen according to Pro Football Focus. In addition to his pass-rushing ability (at least five sacks each of the past four seasons and a career high 29 quarterback pressures), he also deflected a career high five passes in 2016. In that sense, he’s made his presence felt in more ways than just sacking the quarterback.
Casey has been a reliable player over his first six seasons, missing just two games and starting 92 of 96 possible games. This is his second big contract signed with the Titans since his rookie deal–he also inked a four-year, $36 million deal a few years earlier. But while he still had two more years on that deal, the Titans decided to lock him up for even longer and that’s a smart move. He’ll be with the Titans until he’s 31, and it looks like a good deal all the way around.
