New England Patriots starting guard Shaq Mason is set to turn 25 years old on Tuesday, and he’s received quite a birthday gift one day early. The Patriots have locked up Mason to a five-year extension worth up to $50 million, Mike Garafolo and Herbie Teope of NFL Network report.

Mason has been a fixture in the Patriots’ offensive line since he arrived as a fourth-round pick by New England in the 2015 NFL Draft. He’s played 46 out of a possible 48 games with 41 starts over the past three years, including 32 appearances (31 starts) at right guard over the past two.

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With Mason, left guard Joe Thuney, and center David Andrews, the interior of the Patriots' offensive line has been one of the best and most reliable in the entire league over the last couple of years. Those three interior linemen have combined to miss just two games over the last two seasons (Andrews missed both last year).

The lucrative new contract is quite the endorsement for Mason, who has emerged as one of the very best interior offensive linemen in the game. Pro Football Focus had him graded as the No. 4-ranked guard in the NFL last season. Mason was known more for his excellent run blocking coming out of college, but he has since improved tremendously in pass protection as well.

Mason will now be paid like the elite player that he's developed into as his new contract will put him well inside the top 10 in terms of highest-paid guards in the league.