Linebacker Luke Kuechly is without a doubt the best player on the Carolina Panthers’ defense. He is also arguably one of the best defensive players in the NFL. So it’s no surprise that the Panthers wanted to lock him and his talent up for another 5 years. On Thursday, the 24-year old linebacker signed a five-year contract extension with the team worth $62 million, making him the top earner of all the middle linebackers in the NFL.
Kuechly currently has one more year left on his rookie contract, as the Panthers exercised the fifth-year option earlier this year. His new mega-contract will go into effect in 2017 until the end of the 2021 season and will pay him an annual salary of $12.4 million.
Since coming into the NFL in 2012, Kuechly has been a dominant force on the field, leading the league in tackles. As a rookie, he won the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and a year later, he became the youngest player ever to win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. Additionally, with the help of his teammates, Kuechly has been able to lead the way in turning around the Panthers defense and making them a big problem for opposing teams’ offenses.
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera recognizes how valuable Kuechly is to his team and is eager to keep him around for a long time. “Luke is a special player and has been a big reason why we’ve had success on defense,” he said. “He has the skillset you want in a middle linebacker – a great first step, the ability to play downhill and drop into coverage – and he has great command of our defense and what we want to do schematically. He’s a perfect fit for us and I’m excited we got the deal done.”
When asked how he plans to celebrate his new deal, Kuechly said he’s going to finish watching film. Now that’s dedication right there.
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