LATROBE, Pennsylvania: The Steelers signed wide receiver Antonio Brown to a five-year extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh through 2017.
Brown, voted Pittsburgh’s most valuable player by teammates last season, was entering the final season of the three-year contract he signed when he was drafted out of Central Michigan in 2010. He would have been eligible for restricted free agency after this season.
CBS Sports first reported the deal that will earn Brown $42 million over the next six seasons.
Brown made the Pro Bowl last season after becoming the first player in NFL history with at least 1,000 receiving yards and at least 1,000 return yards (1,062). He finished second on the team to Mike Wallace with 69 receptions for 1,108 yards.
“He has played a major role in our success over the past two years,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said, “and we are thrilled he will be a Steeler for many years to come.”
Steelers Nation had been eagerly anticipating a long-term extension for one of its young receivers, but it was expected to have been Wallace. The late-day announcement of Brown’s deal came as a surprise Friday, less than two hours after the Steelers wrapped up their second day of practice.
