Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald’s contract negotiations largely dominated the headlines heading into the 2017 NFL season. However, the ongoing discussions regarding linebacker Alec Ogletree’s deal was hardly talked about.
The Rams have some big decisions to as far as re-signing key members of their young foundation. Los Angeles got off to a solid start by announcing Ogletree’s four-year, $42 million extension, according to NFL Network Insider’s Ian Rapoport:
#Rams & LB Alec Ogletree agreed on a 4-yr extension worth $42M with over $30M in guarantees. Guarantees 2nd only to Kuechly at ILB 💰 💰 💰
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 13, 2017
General manager Les Snead released this official statement regarding Ogletree’s extension:
“Alec has evolved into a true leader of our football team and we are excited to sign him to this extension,” Snead said. “His teammates voted him as a captain in back-to-back seasons for a reason – and it’s not only because of his production, but his character and resiliency. We look forward to Alec helping our team emerge as a consistent winner for years to come.”
Ogletree was initially drafted by the Rams as an outside linebacker, however, he made the smooth transition to MLB prior to the 2016 NFL season. The former 30th overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft finished his first year as the “Mike” earning Second Team All-Pro honors.
Despite the slow start to the year for the Rams defense, Ogletree has helped lead its resurgence over the past two weeks as the team captain. The Georgia product has recorded 330 tackles, 5.5 sacks, five INT’s, and 11 forced fumbles so far in his young career.
