The Tennessee Titans have just made their superstar Taylor Lewan the richest offensive lineman in NFL history. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Lewan signed a five-year deal worth $80 million with $50 million guaranteed.

The new deal that Lewan just signed smashes the former record contract for an offensive lineman, which belonged to New York Giants tackle Nate Solder when he signed a four-year $62 million deal back in the off-season.

Tennessee Titans Sign Taylor Lewan to Extension

Lewan was the 11th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of the University of Michigan. In a few years, he has become one of the premier left tackles in football. His physicality allows him to dominate opponents off the ball and he has been effective at protecting Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota‘s blind side.

The left tackle is a two-time Pro Bowler who has played in 53 of his possible 58 games. In 2016, Lewan was up front defending the third-ranked rushing unit in the NFL, which averaged 136.7 yards per game.

Negotiations between the Titans and Lewan’s team were long and drawn out this off-season. The offensive lineman did not participate in the Titans mini-camp in June, waiting to see if he could arrive at an agreement with the franchise. But after coming to mandatory training camp in July, both sides agreed on a deal that now sees Lewan as the highest paid left tackle in the NFL.

“To be honest, my focus…it’s cool to look at numbers and what if…but at the end of the day, I’ve got to play ball and I’ve got to play as hard as I can, and that’s the goal,” Lewan stated.

In 2017, Lewan was ranked the fourth best offensive tackle in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus, right behind his teammate Jack Conklin, who was at number three. After making it to the AFC Divisional Round last year, the Titans are looking to have continued success this season with Lewan leading the charge.

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