INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts history of drafting and keeping their own added another rather large piece on Thursday night.
Anthony Castonzo and the Colts have reached a contract extension, reportedly for four years and $43.6 million. The extension will keep Castonzo a Colt through the 2019 season, as he was entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Ever since being drafted in the first-round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Castonzo has been a stalwart at the left tackle position in Indianapolis.
Castonzo played 1,115 snaps last season, the most of any NFL offensive lineman.
"He's like that old pickup. You can always count on him," Chuck Pagano said of Castonzo earlier this year.
"You can turn the (darn) thing over and he's always going to start. He shows up week-in-and-week-out. I'm very grateful that we have him."
Colts brass reiterated several times this offseason that locking up Castonzo before the start of the 2015 season was a major priority.
Castonzo has started 56 consecutive games, the fifth longest current streak among NFL offensive tackles.
He's missed just four snaps in the last two seasons (those coming in the 2013 regular season finale, when the Colts had a 30-3 lead on Jacksonville).
In 2012, Castonzo played every offensive snap (1,169).
With Castonzo and T.Y. Hilton now under contract for the foreseeable future, the Colts have their offensive core established with Andrew Luck's deal up next.
"Left tackles like Anthony Castonzo are hard to come by," Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson said in a press release.
"He's a team first guy that works as hard at his craft as anyone I have ever been around regardless of position. His desire to be great literally consumes him and he is a shining example of the sacrifice it truly takes every single day to be at the top of his game come Sunday. From ownership on down we are all extremely happy that AC will be wearing the horseshoe for many years to come. "
