According to a report, the Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms with guard Brandon Fusco on a five-year, $25 million extension that includes $6 million in guaranteed money.
Tom Pelissero of USA Today reported the deal via Twitter:
#Vikings have agreed to a five-year, $25 million contract extension with guard Brandon Fusco. Includes $6 million guaranteed.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 6, 2014
It’s been a dramatic rise for Fusco, a sixth-round pick out of Division II Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania in 2011. He only appeared in three games as a rookie, but has started 31 of the last 32 games for Minnesota at right guard.
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Fusco was a two-time Division II All-American as a center at Slippery Rock and was the first player from that school invited to play in the Senior Bowl.
According to Pro Football Focus, Fusco ranked eighth among all guards last season and was the third-best right guard in the NFL behind only Louis Vasquez of the Denver Broncos and Larry Warford of the Detroit Lions.
That was a huge year-to-year improvement from his first year as a starter. In 2012, Fusco graded out at No. 73 among 81 guards who played at least 25 percent of their team’s offensive snaps.
The extension is on top of the one year remaining on Fusco’s rookie deal, valued at just less than $1.3 million.