32-year-old NFL guard Kyle Long is coming out of retirement.
Kyle, the longtime player for the Chicago Bears and son of Hall of Famer Howie Long, retired after the 2019 season.
The Bears declined his contract option for 2020 so he retired an unrestricted free agent, relevant news only if a player is coming out of retirement.
News of his unretirement surfaced last week on brother (and Super Bowl Champion) Chris Long‘s Green Light pod with Macon Gunter.
Can confirm. Please credit Green Light Pod insider Macon Gunter. https://t.co/GqfrT3TEu1
— hydrated king chris long (@JOEL9ONE) March 9, 2021
For his part, Kyle Long has remained relatively quiet though he did take to social media to show his gratitude toward his fans.
“Thank you for the well wishes everyone, particularly the amazing Bears fans who have treated me as family for years.”
Kyle Long Is Visiting Teams This Week.
Kyle Long may follow in his father’s footsteps.
He is visiting the Las Vegas Raiders this week according to Adam Schefter.
Three-time Pro Bowl G Kyle Long, who is coming out of retirement, is scheduled to visit Monday with the Las Vegas Raiders, per source. Long is scheduled to visit KC next. Long's father, Howie, had a Hall-of-Fame career for Raiders and another Long now in play for the franchise.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2021
Clearly, Kyle Long believes he has more left in the tank and wants to play for a competitive team.
Both Las Vegas and Kansas City fit the bill, but Las Vegas desperately needs defensive help and seems like a fitting place for Kyle Long to play.
Kyle Long’s Accomplishments
Though he initially retired young, Kyle Long accomplished a lot with the Chicago Bears.
He was a three-time Pro Bowler (2013, 2014, and 2015).
Long was named to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team in 2013 and was a second-team All-Pro in 2014.
Perhaps the greatest honor he received was being named one of the 100 greatest Chicago Bears of all time.
He played in 77 career games, starting in 76 of them.
Long was a disciplined player who only committed 26 penalties over his seven-season career.
Durability became an issue later in his career.
He did not play a full season any of the last four seasons he was in the NFL.
In 2019, he only played four games.
Perhaps time away from the game has healed his body so that he can regain the dominance he had in his first three seasons with the Bears.
Former Raider Pro Bowler Donald Penn Approves
Donald Penn, offensive tackle with the Oakland Raiders from 2014-2018, who signed a one-day contract on March 15, 2021 to retire a Raider, thinks Kyle Long should resume his career in Las Vegas.
“That fan base is great. His dad played here. They need some help at guard, so I really hope Kyle does consider it. I think with the time off he was able to get his body better and he’s healthy. His dad played here, his brother’s out here, I think he would be a great fit.”
For the record, Kyle would be the third Long family member to work for the Raiders.
In addition to his Hall of Fame dad, Kyle’s brother Howie Jr. works in the Personal Seat License department for the Raiders.
If the Raiders and Kyle Long reach a deal, it can be signed anytime.
Leave a Reply