FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they have extended the contract of safety Devin McCourty. Terms of the contract were not announced. McCourty was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
McCourty, 32, was originally drafted by the Patriots in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Rutgers. The 5-foot-10, 195-pounder has spent his entire 10-year career with New England. The nine-time team captain and three-time Super Bowl champion has started all 155 regular-season games he has played in for the Patriots, totaling 783 tackles, three sacks, 87 passes defensed, 11 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. The four-time Pro Bowler's 26 career interceptions in the regular season rank eighth in franchise history. He has also started all 23 postseason contests he has played in and posted 110 tackles, two interceptions and 10 passes defensed. McCourty is one of seven players in NFL history to start in five or more Super Bowls.
Last season, McCourty started all 16 regular-season games at safety and totaled 58 tackles, five interceptions, seven passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery as part of a defense that finished first in the NFL in total defense (275.9 yards per game) and scoring (14.1 points allowed per game). He was named September's AFC Defensive Player of the Month after intercepting a pass in each of the first four games of the season. The achievement tied a team record for most consecutive games with at least one interception. Mike Haynes set the original mark with a pick in four straight games in 1976.
