Bucs Gerald McCoy signs 7-year extension up to 98

In the middle of their lost season, the have made .The team announced on Saturday that star defensive tackle signed a seven-year extension. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport is worth up to $98 million with a base of $95.2 million and $51.5 million in guarantees, according to a source who has seen the contract.The deal keeps McCoy under contract in Tampa through 2021 and -- for now -- maintains him as the league's highest-paid defensive tackle.It's a ma sive amount of Manny Machado Jersey money for a player set to anchor Tampa's defense for years to come. Rapoport was told that McCoy and the Bucs exchanged countle s proposals, working tirele sly on the extension since before training camp. Both sides wanted this to happen.The All-Pro behemoth has played at dominant levels in 2014, serving as a week-to-week headache for foes as one of the NFL's premier interior pa s-rushers. Drafted third overall by the Bucs in 2010, McCoy also looms as a formidable run-stopper who requires the attention of multiple blockers.With two sacks and nine hurries on the year, McCoy -- who mi sed two games with a broken hand -- ranks as the league's top defensive tackle after seven weeks of play, per Pro Football Focus. He also topped their rankings last season, while earning the site's second-highest grade at his position since 2008. In short, a quarterback's nightmare."From the moment Lovie and I arrived here, we knew it was vital for us to keep Gerald in Tampa Bay long-term as one of the cornerstones of our franchise," Bucs general manager Jason Licht said in a statement from the team. "... We are happy to reward someone that has a rare work ethic, which not only makes him an elite player, but serves as an example for our entire team."Outside of -- who inked with the last month -- McCoy arguably has been the league's premier defensive force of late and looms as the clear-cut cornerstone for coach to build his Tampa defense around.The latest Around The NFL Podcast previews every Week 8 game, and . Find more Around The NFL content on . Steve Garvey Jersey