Cory Littleton Signs Contract With Carolina Panthers

Cory Littleton, Carolina Panthers, Agree to Contract

Cory Littleton is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. Appearing in 17 games while making 13 starts, the linebacker finished the year with 98 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, two quarterback hits, half a sack, and one fumble recovery. His 48.3 PFF grade ranked 62nd out of 87 eligible linebackers, and even though the Raiders made the playoffs in 2021, the new coaching regime decided they’d be better off without him. On March 10th, the Raiders released Littleton, freeing up $11.75 million in cap space.

Littleton originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent following the 2016 NFL Draft. Signed by the Los Angeles Rams, the Washington product spent most of his rookie season as a depth linebacker and special teams contributor. Playing in all 16 games, Littleton finished his rookie season with just 20 tackles. His 2017 season was similarly unremarkable, as he recorded 36 tackles, five quarterback hits, one sack, and one interception in 16 games.

Littleton finally broke out in 2018. Emerging as a full-time starter, the linebacker finished the year with 125 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, four sacks, and three interceptions. This impressive campaign helped the Los Angeles Rams make it all the way to the Super Bowl, and Littleton earned the first Pro Bowl invitation of his career following the regular season.

Littleton proved that this success wasn’t a one-year fluke in 2019. While he wasn’t quite as good as he was in 2018, he still managed to record 134 tackles, six tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and two interceptions. He cashed in during the offseason, signing a three-year, $36 million contract. He ended up playing two years with the Raiders when all was said and done.