Steelers sign Stephon Tuitt to a five-year extension reportedly worth $61 million

Tuitt is just one of the Steelers' many stars in their defensive front

The Steelers are planning to keep Stephon Tuitt around for the long haul. On Saturday, the Steelers announced that they signed Tuitt to a six-year contract.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the deal is worth $61 million.

Updated with contract figure: Steelers are signing DE Stephon Tuitt to a five-year, $61 million extension, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2017

That's quite the pay raise.

Roughly $15M in the first year, compared to the $1M he was previously set to make. In all, under contract for 6 years total, $61M. https://t.co/b3TZ2vdL5u

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2017

"This is one of the best organizations to be a part of, especially for a guy like me," Tuitt said, per the team's website. "I (came in) as a young guy, super raw. I have some great coaches who have helped me and I have seen my game pick up, my confidence level rise, my leadership ability rise. Being a part of an organization like this, I can see why a lot of great players come from here, a lot of Hall of Fame players come from here.

"I love the organization."

Tuitt, a second-round pick in 2014, was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following season. Now, he won't hit free agency anytime soon, which is good for the Steelers considering Tuitt's production in the past two seasons. Since 2015, Tuitt's started 28 games and has notched 10.5 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Tuitt posted the third-highest run-stop percentage and was the eighth-most productive pass rusher among all 3-4 defensive ends last season. So, he's good, even if his sack total doesn't necessarily indicate it.

And he says the sacks are coming.

"I am a double-digit sack guy. I am," Tuitt said. "I would have had it last year if I didn't miss my sacks. That is my goal this year. I just have to work on the little things to get my sacks. Things like working out, watching film. Understanding what you are good at, what you aren't good at. How you can become good at that. Know that you are a dominant force and believing that you are a dominant force. Come out here on the field and do the things you need to do on the field.

"I do have a knack for getting to the quarterback. For me, my thing is to stop him and get him to the ground. I had a lot of missed tackles. A lot of those missed tackles are sacks. My process has to be finishing, slowing down, and getting him down to the ground."

The Steelers defense is full of young playmakers up front. There's Tuitt, Cameron Heyward, rookie T.J. Watt, who won the starting right outside linebacker job over Steelers legend James Harrison, and third-year pass rusher Bud Dupree, who Pete Prisco selected as his breakout player in 2017.

The front-seven's first task? Hit Browns rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer early and often in Sunday's season opener.