Jon Beason became the lastest Panthers linebacker to break the bank. (Photo by John Clark)

   CHARLOTTE -- And the spending spree continues.
   Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Jon Beason has broken plenty of records in his day, but late Thursday night he broke the news on Twitter that he's become the highest-paid middle linebacker in the NFL as the team continued to reward its core players with contract extensions.
   “Turn on the tube,” Beason wrote late Thursday night. “Jon Beason the highest paid MLB (middle linebacker) in the league. News breaks now.”
   The deal is reportedly worth $50 million over five years and includes $25 million in guaranteed money, according to ProFootballTalk.com. That's in line with the five-year $50 million contract middle linebacker Patrick Willis received last year from the San Francisco 49ers.
    Beason is the latest of Carolina's core players to get a huge deal from the Panthers, following in the footsteps of defensive end Charles Johnson, linebackers Thomas Davis and James Anderson and running back DeAngelo Williams, all of whom got huge deals the previous two days.
   The Panthers have one more core player to sign to an extension and that's center Ryan Kalil.

  
    The Panthers have also signed several free agents including kicker Olindo Mare, defensive tackle Ray Edwards and safety Sean Considine and also traded to acquire tight end Greg Olsen from the Bears, who also got a new long-term deal. The Panthers have now handed out more than $90 million in guaranteed money and the total worth of those contracts far exceed $200 million.
    All of those contracts will be signed Friday.
    The news of Beason's contract extension doesn't come as a surprise.
    Just last night general manager Marty Hurney said that re-signing Beason to a long-term contract was a "very high priority" and something he wanted to get done soon. He also said the team wants to get a long-term deal for Kalil, the team's Pro Bowl center.
    Beason has never missed a start since joining the Panthers as a first-round draft pick in 2007, starting all 64 games. He's finished with more than 160 tackles on three different occassions and been to the Pro Bowl three times. This past year, Beason struggled early on after volunteering to move to outside linebacker following an injury to Thomas Davis. However, he later moved inside after Dan Connor went down with a hip injury and went on to have a productive season with 162 tackles and one sack.
   The Panthers have now locked up all three starting linebackers through the 2015 season.