Chris Long gets 4-year extension

The St. Louis Rams are getting down to business and that includes contracts.

Defensive end Chris Long has a four-year extension that will keep him with the club through 2016.

According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Long’s deal likely averages north of $10 million per season and includes a guarantee that could be in excess of $20 million. The defensive end, that was the second overall pick in 2008, was entering the final year of his contract but now he doesn’t need to worry about the future.

“He's not the only one we're working on," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "We're just happy. He's had a great start to his career. And we want to give him a chance to really settle in here and be one of the mainstays of our defense."

Per Thomas, next up could be middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Contract talks for him have already started. The new regime with Fisher and general manager Les Snead is getting to work in more than one way.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune