Instead of signing Cory Littleton to a long-term contract last offseason, the Rams opted to apply a second-round tender to him. It was a cheap way to keep him around for at least one more year, paying him about $3.1 million for the 2019 season.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but a year later, it looks like the Rams would’ve been better off signing Littleton to an extension rather than a restricted free agent tender.

He bet on himself and proved his worth this season, recording 134 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He hardly missed a snap and was a leader in the middle of the Rams defense, a unit that improved significantly against the run over the 2018 season.

With no contract on the books for 2020 and beyond, Littleton will once again be a free agent – this time as an unrestricted one. His breakout season couldn’t have come at a better time, finishing the year as Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded tackler and sixth-best linebacker.

According to Pro Football Reference, Littleton only missed five tackles on 139 attempts. That’s a rate of 3.6%, the lowest of any player with at least 100 tackles.

#LARams Cory Littleton delivered in a contract year, having perhaps the best year of his career Littleton's 2019 ranked (min 300 snaps): – 1st among ALL defenders in Tackling Grades

– 6th among LBs in Overall Defense

– 8th among LBs in Coverage

– T-9th among LBs in Pass Rushing pic.twitter.com/6Ei8XhUvYK — PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) January 7, 2020

Littleton’s price tag undoubtedly went up this season and the Rams know it. At the very least, he’ll almost certainly eclipse the contracts signed by Shaq Thompson and Jaylon Smith recently, which were for $13.6 million and $11.4 million per year, respectively.

The Rams must decide if Littleton is worth that cost, because there’s little doubt another team will give him that type of contract. With Dante Fowler Jr. and Michael Brockers also hitting free agency, Los Angeles has a tough call to make.

If Littleton turned down a multi-year extension last year, he was smart to bet on himself. He’s going to be rewarded this offseason, whether it’s by the Rams or someone else.