The Pittsburgh Steelers have locked up offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert with an extension through the 2019 season, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Marcus Gilbert has signed a five-year, $30 million extension with the Steelers, per league source.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 19, 2014
Gilbert's average of $6 million will make him among the highest paid right tackles in the NFL. Doug Free of the Dallas Cowboys and Philip Loadholt of the Minnesota Vikings are the highest paid right tackles this season at $3.5 and $3.4 million, respectively. Free's deal then kicks in to $8 million in 2015, setting the mark for all right tackles.
Gilbert was the second-round selection of the Steelers in the 2011 NFL Draft. A top prospect out of Florida, Gilbert provided the Steelers with their only consistent presence along the offensive line last season when everyone else sat several games due to injury or inconsistent play.
Gilbert is only 26 years old and has started 34 of 35 games for the Steelers in his three-year career. Along with other young starters like David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey, the Steelers now have a solid starting core for the next several years.