Early this morning, reports surfaced that the Houston Texans will be giving defensive player J.J. Watt a six-year $100 million contract extension. Over the course of the deal, Watt will receive a $51.8 million guaranteed salary and a $10 million signing bonus, making him the highest paid defensive player in the history of the NFL.

According to Leader-Post, Watt had 2 years left on his contract, and was expected to be paid $1.9 million this year. He expressed his decision for a new contract last month, and the Texans agreed. Watt's new contract beats out defensive end Mario Williams' contract in 2012, which was $96 million with a $50 million guarantee.

Watt is considered to be one of the best defensive players in the NFL, with a record of 36.5 sacks, 74 tackles for loss, and 27 pass breakups in his three seasons with the Texans. His playing style has even earned him the nickname J.J. "Swatt." Forbes reports that Watt has also won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012, and that a poll by ESPN ranked him first among all defensive players for the second year in a row.

Expensive contracts have been signed before, as Watt is only the second defensive player in the NFL to land one. Previously, defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth signed a 7-year, $100 million deal with the Washington Redskins in 2009. However, Watt's salary is record high, and shows that the NFL continues to pay its stars big money. According to Forbes, the NFL salary cap has jumped $10 million this season to $133 million, and experts predict that it could hit nearly $160 million by 2016. As a result, the average NFL team value has been raised 23% to a record $1.43 billion.

The Houston Texans will be returning this season with their first game against Washington. It is assumed that there will be great expectations for Watt to lead the Texans' defense in a skilled and confident manner.