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A contract extension for James Laurinaitis is going to happen sooner rather than later, says Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The St. Louis Rams have been working on a new deal for their star middle linebacker for some time now, but news of a pending deal has fallen to the back pages with preseason play happening.
The Rams themselves have been pretty forthcoming about the deal. They signed Chris Long to an extension at the start of training camp, telling fans that a new contract for their linebacker was in the offing as well.
Laurinaitis and Long were both due for free agency in 2013. Losing either one would have been costly for the Rams, who were also smart to avoid a tense situation with either one of the star players over the franchise tag. Both men have emerged into franchise cornerstones. Long's tenure on the roster is only exceeded by Steven Jackson. Both he and Laurinaitis were part of a 1-15 team in 2009. Hopefully, both will see more wins in the seasons ahead.