INDIANAPOLIS – It was fitting Anthony Castonzo's contract signing last Friday came around the time the sun had barely shown itself to start the day.
A little after 7:00 a.m., Castonzo inked a four-year contract extension with the Colts, finalizing a deal that keeps "Mr. Consistency" in Indianapolis through the 2019 season.
The fact that Castonzo was signing his second NFL contract at that hour served as another indication of why the left tackle was deserving of such a lucrative deal.
"Since I've been here, he's chosen to go out and lead by example---first person in the weight room, last person out, first person on the field, last one off," third-year guard Hugh Thornton said last week.
"If anybody deserves that contract, it's Castonzo. He works hard every day, whether it's the season or the offseason."
In typical Castonzo fashion, he wanted little to do with the logistics of his second NFL contract.
Entering the final season of his rookie deal, Castonzo never had a gripe about his next deal, knowing the whole time that the mutual interest would eventually get something done.
"I've got a great agent, Tom Condon. I basically just said, 'Hey, it's all up to you. I'm focusing on playing football. I've got an important season ahead of me, so get it done as soon as you can get it done.'" Castonzo said.
Castonzo heads into his fifth NFL season having started 57 consecutive games, the fifth-longest streak among active NFL tackles.
On a Colts line with so much flux, Castonzo is the constant.
In 2011, the Colts took Castonzo with the 22nd overall selection of the draft. The technician in Castonzo says his confidence is the biggest difference in how his game as evolved over the years.
Chuck Pagano has often said that knowing Castonzo is securing the blind side for Andrew Luck, makes the Colts head coach sleep quite easy at night.
"He's earned that," Pagano said of the contract extension for Castonzo.
"He's a pillar guy. To have that side locked up for the next whatever, four or five years…I don't even know what it was. I don't even know what it's worth. I just know he's worth every penny of it."
There are plenty of pennies that will be coming Castonzo's way in the coming years.
The inevitable question was asked of Castonzo last week on how a contract of such magnitude might impact his play.
"I'm just going to go into it taking the same amount of pride in every rep that I always have," Castonzo explained.
"Getting paid doesn't change at all what the game is on the field. It's just completely separate. That kind of changes what I have in my personal life going forward, but on the field, everything is the exact same."
