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Former Ducks lineman Kyle Long tweeted out that he was “stepping away from football” at the tender age of 31 years old.
Some chicagoans are probably happy to hear I’m finally stepping away and getting my body right. Some Chicagoans may be sad to hear this. Either way ufeel about it, I want u to know how lucky I am to have spent time in your city. I became a man while playing in Chicago.Thank you❤️
— Kyle Long (@Ky1eLong) January 6, 2020
Long is the son of Hall of Fame defensive lineman Howie Long and the younger brother of former NFL defensive lineman Chris Long (who retired last year after a long career of his own). Long played for the Ducks during the 2012 season after transferring from Saddleback College via Florida State.
He was a first round selection of the Chicago Bears in the 2013 NFL Draft. Long was selected to three Pro Bowls and was named to the second team All-Pro team in 2014. He was a steady presence for the Bears offensive line, starting 76 of a possible 77 games that he was healthy for.
He started to break down physically during the 2016 season and ultimately ended up making just four starts in 2019 as a result of hip injury. It has been a long three seasons with various upper and lower body injuries for him. He wisely chose to step away from the game in an era of players increasingly taking their long term health into account before making these kind of decisions.
Over his seven seasons, Long has earned $37,351,058 in total earnings and would have made $8.1 million in 2020 had he chosen not to retire from the sport, according to Spotrac.com
Not a bad nest egg to retire on, we would say!
Maybe Coach Cristobal will bring him around Eugene to teach the youngsters a thing or two in the future or even an Alumni Game during the spring. Once a Duck, Always a Duck.
Happy Trails, Kyle! We wish you the best in retirement!