CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Thomas Davis wasn’t surprised to learn teammate Luke Kuechly had become the NFL’s highest-paid middle linebacker on Thursday.
Davis said Kuechly is to the Panthers what quarterback Tom Brady is the New England Patriots.
“He deserves to be the highest-paid defensive player in this league based on what he’s done, what he’s capable of doing and what I expect him to do,” said Davis, the team’s outside linebacker and longest tenured player.
Kuechly agreed to a five-year, $62 million contract extension with the Panthers, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move hasn’t been announced.
Kuechly has an NFL-best 473 tackles since coming into the league as a first-round draft pick in 2012. He’s one of only three players to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors within his first two years, earning that accolade in 2013. He also won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012.
Kuechly’s $12.4 million annual salary tops Seattle’s Bobby Wagner, who received a four-year extension worth $10.75 million a year in August.
“That speaks to what Luke has been able to accomplish and what he’s done,” Davis said. “How can you argue with that? He deserves every cent of it, if not more.”
Kuechly declined comment about any impending deal in the team’s open locker room session because the deal had not been agreed upon at the time.
Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott didn’t want to comment about the extension, but said it’s no coincidence the Panthers have finished in the top 10 in the league in defense in each of the last three seasons since Kuechly arrived.
“He’s a servant leader, and that’s the greatest compliment I could give someone,” McDermott said. “… There are a lot of areas where he’s helped us, there’s no doubt about it. Within that we’ve built a culture around here that is all about team, being selfless and putting others before ourselves, and I think Luke personifies that.”
Coach Ron Rivera said when he first saw Kuechly play at Boston College he thought he would be a “perfect fit” for what the Panthers do on defense.
“He’s got a great first step, he plays downhill, he’s got some feel in pass drops and pass coverages and he reads things and diagnoses things very quickly,” Rivera said. “The one thing he’s done that has surprised me is his complete command of what we do. When you find a guy like that, that’s pretty special and you want to try to keep him around.”
The deal comes three days before the Panthers face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the regular season opener on Sunday.
The Panthers’ long-standing stance is not to discuss contract extensions once the regular season begins.
The 24-year-old Kuechly becomes the fourth Carolina player to sign a big contract extension this offseason. Quarterback Cam Newton previously signed a five-year, $103.8 million deal, tight end Greg Olsen was handed a three-year, $22.5 million contract and Davis got $18 million over two years.
It’s been a big offseason for NFL linebackers with Tampa Bay’s Lavonte David and Detroit’s DeAndre Levy also receiving big deals this offseason.
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