What a contract extension could look like for Los Angeles Rams ILB Cory Littleton

[AZRams]

There is something about the MLB position....
It’s not as important as the QB or Pitcher, but more important than Center or Catcher.
Rams have not had a great,(or even good) one (imo), since the other #58 we let walk to keep Little.
Pay him - he’s much more valuable than Fowler.

Yep, as good a season as he is having, I agree; let Fowler walk and find a way to keep Littleton. He's produced like crazy since '16 on special teams, as a reserve and now a starting MLB.

And I love his effort.

 

[OldSchool]

Making the prediction now he signs with the Bengals. Hey have a huge need at LB plus have somewhere around $65 million in cap space next year. There’s the obvious familiarity with Taylor as well no matter how quick his stay was with us.

 

[Ram65]

If we extrapolate for Littleton’s potential deal, it could look something like this:
4-year extension, $59m total, 14.75m APY, $36.5m guaranteed

Talk about inflation. I didn't think it would be so much money. I wanted the Rams to resign him. Still kinda do as the Rams really don't have anyone near his ability to replace him.

It's possible the Rams can give him an escalating contract that keeps the cap hit lower in 2020. Losing Brockers, Fowler and Littleton could be too much to overcome in one offseason. Littleton is a 3 down LBer that covers running backs well. I hope the Rams can figure out a way to keep him.

 

[Jacobarch]

All it takes is one team desperate for an ILB with a ton of cap space they have to spend.

agreed, it's what drives up the player markets. I still think they need to cap each position. But what do i know?...

 

[Jacobarch]

I will say I still think he's playing out of position a little. He needs to play more a WILB and roam that's where he's best. He's not that good in the box stuffing the run. I'd rather find a thick brick of a man to hurt those opposing RB's when they run up the gut.

I think littleton can honestly be replaced easier than a Fowler. Look at what they did with Ogletree, same type of player that was playing a little out of position and had the same problems vs. the run. They gave Littleton his spot and he really didn't miss a beat but I don't think he's any better than AO, because they are exact same type of player lol.

 

[Kevin]

The author used three ILBs who were drafted in the second round, are one or two years younger than Littleton and became full-time starters right out of college, except for Smith who was hurt and became a starter after red-shirting his rookie year. Not good comps, IMO.

Eric Kendricks with Minnesota and Benardrck McKinney with Houston both signed extensions in 2018 for 5 years, $50 million. Others like Anthony Hitchens with Kansas City and Jordan Hicks with Arizona signed for less money per year than Kendricks and McKinney.

IMO, Littleton is more comparable to the group of ILBs I listed not the author's list.

 

[RamWoodie]

I would hate to think the Rams have lost Littleton...but that's a strong possibility because he'll be a hot commodity.

We have to hope he wants to be a Ram as long as the offer is reasonable, otherwise expect a 2nd round pick.

 

[OldSchool]

agreed, it's what drives up the player markets. I still think they need to cap each position. But what do i know?...

You'll never IMO get the players union to agree to a cap like that.

 

[Jacobarch]

You'll never IMO get the players union to agree to a cap like that.

Yeah I know. Just sick of seeing these overinflated contracts.

In a dream world if it did happen it would actually help teams keep Coveted players

 

[Memento]

I knew we should've re-signed him before this year. I'd hate to lose him, but the market's going to be too much.

Well, hopefully Dakota Allen and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo/Jachai Polite can replace Littleton and Fowler.

 

[ScotsRam]

Take the comp pick and move on. I like him, but you better be Ray Lewis like to get that kind of money at that position. He is great in coverage, but is below avg in size and his ability to stuff the run.

Teams are going back to the power run game, especially this division, and Littleton is a liability in that regards.

Two words - London Fletcher.

Don't overthink this, Snead.

 

[Jacobarch]

Two words - London Fletcher.

Don't overthink this, Snead.

I'm sorry but Littleton is not Fletcher. Not even close.

 

[PhillyRam]

Two words - London Fletcher.

Don't overthink this, Snead.

Fletcher was a 4-3 MLB... more important than a 3-4 ILB. Fletcher was great against the run, Littleton is not.

And this team will have major cap issues.

Question, do you sign Littleton if it costs you Kupp or Johnson?

Can't keep everyone.

 

[BonifayRam]

If the Rams Org. hopes to have a winning team ......its main requirement is to ensure that Goff remains protected & not forced into bad situations.

If $$$ is to be spent it better be on the future protection of Goff & a OL that is highly successful in opening large holes for our RB's.

Cory Littleton is one of my most favorite Rams but Snead/ Wade have beefed up the inside LB'ers cadre over this past season.

The below dozen LB'ers have a high probability of being on the roster early next season before the draft. Snead has these two LB'er units 3 deep.
ILB
MLB- Troy Reader/ Micah Kiser/ Natrez Patrick
WSLB- Travin Howard/ Dakota Allen/ Kenny Young

OLB
ROLB- Samson Ebukam/ Jachai Polite/ Josh Carraway
LOLB- Clay Matthews/ Og Okoronkwo/ Justin Lawler

 

[So Ram]

Littleton is a little tricky to value. He feels like a guy who (because of the big plays) may be priced out of our range.

His overall play is very good, don’t get me wrong... but perhaps slightly overvalued due to the sacks, INTS, etc.

true & totally agree , but how do The Rams not sign Cory Littleton to a longer deal a few years ago ?? That is the problem with Kevin Demoff. He ends up paying all these players, but waits for there value to rise.
Draft picks don’t always workout , but you value them in a ranking order. Upside on a player on your roster should be easier to predict than taken a shit at a JR coming out of college & waiting for him to develop.
At what point do The Rams start looking to extend a guy like David Long or Tyler Rapp ?? Maybe even Nick Scott ??

Tyler Higbee getting such a big contract ?? Could The Rams have committed to him sooner ?? My take is Everett is as good as gone. John Johnson what price ??

 

[Kevin]

Fletcher was a 4-3 MLB... more important than a 3-4 ILB. Fletcher was great against the run, Littleton is not.

And this team will have major cap issues.

Question, do you sign Littleton if it costs you Kupp or Johnson?

Can't keep everyone.

We can sign Littleton, Kupp and Johnson though. Signing everyone was never the goal.

 

[leoram]

I won’t argue money, I will leave that to others. What I will argue is how Littleton’s impact isn’t fully appreciated here.
While London Fletcher was a premier run stopper and TFL producer, Littleton having a different game doesn’t mean he doesn’t similarly impact games. His production goes way beyond tackles, sacks, strips, and passes defended.

Cory’s impact wouldn’t be felt unless he went to another team. In today’s NFL, if a linebacker can’t defend the pass, entire gameplans will be predicated on picking on that linebacker. Littleton isn’t just a weapon Wade deploys to blow up a play...he’s a rock in the middle of the defense that tackles extremely well, defends the pass, and is very effective on the blitz. There’s no need to take him off the field based on down and distance. If you think that kind of player is easily replaceable, I pray we don’t find out the extent that I’m correct.
IMO, Kupp and Littleton are two of the top 5 most valuable players on the team.

 

[Riverumbbq]

I won’t argue money, I will leave that to others. What I will argue is how Littleton’s impact isn’t fully appreciated here.

The problem is that money may be the crux of the problem here, and that will be determined in the off-season by the direction the team takes. We live under a CAP where from season to season every team tries to patch a new hole by way of the draft or free agency, ... when the cost of a player rises so high it impacts the quality of other units, difficult changes may become necessary.

I'd also argue that Rams fans are quite aware of Littleton's impact, his appreciation is emphasized by the many comments, articles & posts suggesting just how valuable he is thought of. jmo.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Cory Littleton deserves to make Pro Bowl for breakout season

Cameron DaSilva
46 minutes ago


Undrafted rookies have an impact in the NFL each season. It’s not often they become one of the best players at their respective positions, though.
Cory Littleton signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2016 and has slowly worked his way to become a top linebacker in the league right now. He has a Pro Bowl on his resume from 2018, but that was as a special teams player.

In 2019, he’s deserving of making it as a linebacker.
He’s a do-it-all player for the Rams, playing every single snap in each game but two: blowout wins over the Falcons and Cardinals. He’s doing everything at a high level, too, from defending the run to dropping back in coverage to rushing the passer.
Just look at his stats: 102 tackles, 2 INTs, 8 PBU, 2 FF, 2.5 sacks and 4 TFL.
He ranks among the best linebackers in the league in all four of Pro Football Focus’ major categories, too.

Littleton has improved significantly in the tackling department, which was sometimes a weakness for him in 2018. He’s missed just four tackles this year, good for a missed-tackle rate of only 3.8% – nearly half of his mark from last season (7.4%).
Even better for him, he’s doing all of this in a contract year. Littleton returned to the Rams as a restricted free agent this year, but he’ll be an unrestricted FA in 2020. That’s great news for him and bad news for the Rams.
With Los Angeles having very little cap space next year, re-signing him to the contract he’s going to command will be difficult. It will likely prevent the Rams from keeping Dante Fowler Jr. and Michael Brockers, who could both depart after this season.
The coaches have to love what they’re seeing from the former undrafted free agent, but the front office will have a hard time keeping him around on an affordable contract after his breakout campaign.

Cory Littleton deserves to make Pro Bowl for breakout season

Cory Littleton has ascended to become one of the best linebackers in the NFL.

theramswire.usatoday.com