"The Bengals signed left tackle Andrew Whitworth to a two-year extension worth $20 million that will keep him in Cincinnati through the end of the 2015 season.

"You want to extend the guys who you know are committed to the program," said Whitworth, who's entering his sixth NFL season. "It's good to see the hard work you put in and to be able to get it to work for both sides."

Whitworth has emerged as one of the team's leaders, as well as one of the top offensive tackles in the AFC. He led Pro Bowl fan voting at the position last year but missed out on his first trip to the NFL's all-star game in Hawaii.

Whitworth was named the Bengals' MVP by the writers last season when he gave up only two sacks - both in the final minutes of losses, to Atlanta and Indianapolis.

As the Bengals' representative with the players association, Whitworth also was the team's leader during the lockout and was one of the players who organized workouts at the University of Cincinnati in June.

"It's amazing, and one of those things where you go above and beyond as a leader on and off the field," he said of his role as player representative. "I will continue to do that.""