This is big for Pete Werner. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Werner is signing a three-year contract extension with the New Orleans Saints that will keep him in black and gold through 2027 -- remember, he was entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2024.

Schefter adds that the deal is valued at more than $25 million, with a respectable $17.5 million guaranteed at signing. So it's effectively a two-year deal with a prove-it year tacked on for 2027. But if Werner continues trending in the right direction he'll earn every penny.

Werner has started 35 of the 43 games he's played for the Saints since being drafted in the second round out of Ohio State, back in 2021; he's totaled 235 tackles 9152 solo, 11 tackles for loss) in that time, along with an interception, two forced fumbles, two recoveries, and half a sack with a couple of quarterback hits.

He's been a high-variance player to this point in his career, to a point where Willie Gay Jr. was signed as competition for his starting job, but Werner ironed out those inconsistencies at training camp and the Saints must feel confident that he's going to continue to play well for them.

That's one less free agent they'll need to talk shop with in 2025. Will breakout cornerback Paulson Adebo be the next one to sign an extension after Werner and Pro Bowl returns ace Rashid Shaheed each got new deals this summer?

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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints sign Pete Werner to a three-year contract extension