Steelers, center Maurkice Pouncey agree on five-year, $44 million extension

After losing Maurkice Pouncey (right) to an ACL injury in Week 1, the Steelers stumbled to an 8-8 finish in 2013. (Gene J. Puskar/AP) The Pittsburgh Steelers

After losing Maurkice Pouncey (right) to an ACL injury in Week 1, the Steelers stumbled to an 8-8 finish in 2013. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have long been an organization that's built around its on-field leadership, and on Thursday the team locked up one of those leaders, signing center Maurkice Pouncey to a five-year, $44 million deal, as first reported by Pro Football Talk.

Pouncey was the team's first-round pick in the 2010 draft and has been one of the more consistent players, not only on the offensive line, but also on the entire squad.

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The new deal makes Pouncey the highest-paid center in the league. When the Cleveland Browns signed Alex Mack to a five-year, $42 million contract earlier this offseason, many thought it would complicate the Steelers' negotiations with Pouncey. But Pittsburgh always finds a way to keep the players the organization believes are most important to long-term success, and Pouncey is certainly one of those pieces.

The upcoming season would have been the final year of Pouncey's rookie contract; he was scheduled to make just a little over $3.8 million.

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