Nate Landman has been the find of the offseason for the Los Angeles Rams through 11 weeks of the regular season. L.A. landed the fourth-year linebacker on the veteran minimum after three seasons in Atlanta, with mixed results and injuries lowering his value over those years.
But the 27-year-old has been a revelation in L.A. He has started in all 10 of the Rams games with a league-leading four forced fumbles, four pass deflections, 1.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and three QB hits. He is well outplaying the minimum contract that the Rams have him on, as he has been an anchor and captain of L.A.’s defense this season.
And it appears the Rams are rewarding him for his efforts with the team thus far, as he has agreed to a three-year contract extension to stay with the franchise, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
The #Rams and LB Nate Landman agreed to terms on a 3 year, $22.5M deal with, $15.6M guaranteed, source said. He was playing under the veteran minimum deal of $1.1M this year.
A big day for Landman, who has 91 tackles and four forced fumbles. pic.twitter.com/PpqRiScFK4
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 22, 2025
This is a massive win for both parties. First, the Rams get their starting-caliber linebacker at a relatively cheap number for the next three years. L.A. has not had an array of elite linebackers during the Sean McVay era, and Landman represents one of the most consistent options to suit up for the team in years.
Meanwhile, Landman gets a guaranteed payday of over $15 million, a massive leap forward from the contracts he has had in the NFL thus far. He also gets the long-term security of a multi-year deal, something he likely wasn’t expecting when he signed with the Rams on a one-year minimum deal.
Sometimes, it’s about finding the right fit for both the player and team. Atlanta was clearly not the right place for Landman, while L.A. has been a perfect home given what talent the Rams defense already has and what he is asked to do.
Rams injury updates on Tutu Atwell and Ahkello Witherspoon
While the Rams are feeling good about their 8-2 record, the roster was dealt a few blows following their thrilling win against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Rams placed starters Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee and Quentin Lake on injured reserve. While McVay did not rule out any of them returning at some point this season, losing three key pieces is a tough reality for a team that’s been rolling on both sides of the field.
Los Angeles will need players like Warren McClendon Jr., Terrance Ferguson and Josh Wallace to step up in Havenstein, Higbee and Lake’s absences, though reinforcements could be on the way.
After a recent practice, McVay announced that Tutu Atwell should be back next week and offered an encouraging update on Ahkello Witherspoon.
