Andrew Thomas Explains Why He Agreed to Contract Extension Now

New York Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas has only played three seasons of professional football but still feels he has a lot of room to get better and prove himself as one of the premier players in the league.

Still, with two years remaining on his rookie deal, Thomas decided not to wait to keep building up his financial value game. Instead, he decided to enter negotiations with the Giants just after the season, negotiations he said headed up after the OTAs ended.

The result is a five-year extension worth $117.5 million that also carries an APY of $23.5 million, the second-highest in history for an offensive lineman in history (after Laremy Tunsil). It also has $67M fully guaranteed at signing, the most ever for an offensive lineman in NFL history, breaking Ronnie Stanley’s previous record at $64 million.

Thomas decided to jump on the opportunity to lock up his financial future when the Giants approached him because of the unknowns of playing the game.

"Especially with my history of ankle injuries and things of that nature," he said Wednesday after the Giants completed their first summer practice. "Playing offensive line, (there’s) people falling on you every game, you want to be secure. You don’t hope for injuries, but we know that’s a thing that happens in this league."

When he was first hired, General manager Joe Schoen spoke of wanting to retain the team's young talent as soon as feasible, and he's done just that with Thomas.

"He played at a high level, and he’s our type of guy," Schoen said. "To get ahead of those things, I think if he’s willing to do a deal, and it was something we were comfortable with, both parties were happy with where we ended up landing."

While Thomas, Pro Football Focus's 32nd-best player in the NFL, could have waited for the market to grow, he's thankful that the Giants wanted to get something done now.

"It’s a blessing to be in this position, and it’s also motivation to keep working and to live up to that number and compete to be the best tackle in the league."