Indianapolis Colts

Colts sign Andrew Luck through 2021, making him NFL's highest-paid player

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:33 p.m. ET

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Dan Graf

The Indianapolis Colts have been negotiating a contract extension with quarterback Andrew Luck for a while now, and on Wednesday the team announced that it has a deal done through 2021 that will make him the league's highest-paid player.

This was the rare instance of a team beating the gaggle of NFL reporters to the news, so numbers weren't immediately available, but owner Jim Irsay took care of that in short order:

Irsay even helped break the initial news before anyone could report it, showing that he and Luck are on a first-name basis.

The deal puts Luck's new average salary at $23.3 million over the next six years, which trumps the $22.1 million per year Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco makes. Several reports say $87 million of the total value of the contract is guaranteed.

Luck, 26, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft and was a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first three seasons. He led Indianapolis to the playoffs in each of those years, but he and the team faltered in 2015, when injuries -- a lacerated kidney and a partially torn abdominal muscle -- limited Luck to a 2-5 record in only seven starts.

Luck issued a statement shortly after the deal was made public:

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