Cory Littleton is playing his way into a big payday

USA Today



Part of the problem with having one of the most talented rosters in the league is the inability to pay everyone what they deserve. The Rams haven’t yet faced that issue, but in the next year or two, they certainly will.

With Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, Jared Goff and Brandin Cooks all among the top-paid players at their position, and Jalen Ramsey likely resetting the cornerback market soon, there will be players they can’t pay to keep.

Cory Littleton, who will be a free agent after this season, could be one of those players.

He’s quickly become one of the better linebackers in the league, specifically in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, he has the second-best coverage grade of all linebackers this season at 87.3.

His overall grade of 80.7 is also impressive, ranking as one of the top players at his position. He was good last season, too, his first year as a starter, but he’s taken his game to another level. Littleton does it all in the middle of the field, leading the Rams with 58 tackles (two for a loss), one QB hit, two interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He also has one sack, which came last week against the Falcons.

Littleton has yet to be an unrestricted free agent, signing a one-year tender this past offseason to remain with the Rams at a salary of just $3.1 million. That’s hardly a number representative of the way he’s played, which is why he’s in line for a raise.

The question is whether the Rams will be the ones to pay him, or if it’ll be someone else.

If he takes somewhat of a hometown discount to stay in Los Angeles, his contract should be worth no less than $10 million per year, which is what Eric Kendricks and Benardrick McKinney are currently making. If he gets to the free agent market, though, that number could rise north of $12 million into the range of what Jaylon Smith got from the Cowboys this offseason.

The Rams are projected to have $24 million in cap space next year, including Jalen Ramsey’s $13.7 million cap hit. That’s not a lot of money to go around for the rest of the team, but signing Littleton long-term should be a top priority for the Rams – especially considering he’s one of the next players to hit free agency.

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