The Tennessee Titans and cornerback Jason McCourty have agreed to a five-year, $43 million contract extension that will bound him to the team through the 2017 season, the Titans announced Thursday.
McCourty, who was selected from Rutgers in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, enjoyed a breakout season last fall to establish himself as one of the NFL’s elite defensive backs. He started 15 games, intercepting two passes to match the team-best, deflecting a team-high 13 others and forcing one fumble. McCourty’s 107 total tackles ranked second on the squad.
The new deal, which includes $20 million in guaranteed money and bonuses, culminates a summer’s worth of negotiations between the Titans and McCourty’s agent, Andy Simms.
Simms had visited training camp earlier this month, but sounded doubtful as recently as earlier this week that a deal would get done anytime soon. All that changed on Thursday.
The 6-foot, 188-pound McCourty is in the final year of a rookie contract that pays him $1.26 million annually, but Tennessee wasn’t about to risk letting him walk after losing Courtland Finnegan to free agency this past offseason.
Finnegan wound up signing a five-year, $50 million deal with the St. Louis Rams after spending six seasons with Tennessee.
McCourty played his college ball with his identical twin brother, Devin. The duo held down the Scarlet Knights’ two starting cornerback spots for two seasons. Devin McCourty, who redshirted his first season at Rutgers, was a first-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2010.
With McCourty’s deal done, the Titans are expected to turn their attention towards working out a long-term deal for tight end Jared Cook, who is also scheduled to become a free agent at the season’s conclusion. Cook’s agent, Christina Phillips, has visited training camp this year, and discussions about a long-term contract for her client have already begun.
