Leonard Little has been a valuable part of the Rams defense since he was drafted by the franchise in 1998. He has been a part of the Super Bowl years, as well as the super low years. He has seen players and coaches come and go. Little has played through it all. He ranks second in team history with 71 sacks. Sunday, Little was rewarded for his efforts and signed to a three-year extension. Details were not released, but the deal is for somewhere around $19 million.

Both parties have been working on an extension for Little since the end of last season, but small details kept them from making a deal earlier. By signing Little now, the Rams do not have to use the franchise tag on him, and will save more than $8 million of the salary cap in doing so.

If no deal was done by season’s end, Little was prepared for free agency. He was open to leaving St. Louis and understood the nature of the business. But there are veterans on the roster that Little feels a bit attached to.

“…Guys like Corey Chavous, he came here because of me, somewhat. He said he’s always wanted to play with me. So I did it for those guys that still want me around.”

Just hours after signing the deal, Little recorded his 10th sack of the season, five tackles, one forced fumble, and a pass breakup. Unfortunately, the Rams offense could not score and lost to Carolina 15-0.

Little hopes this is his last deal, and does not see himself playing beyond 2009.