NEWSLETTER
Kyle Long made waves last week as news of his un-retirement hit Twitter.
And soon, Long’s second act in the NFL will go into motion.
One might expect a limited market for a player entering his age 33 season, who took last season off, and struggled through injury-riddled campaigns late in his career. But that’s not the case with Long.
Instead, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the three-tine Pro Bowl lineman has visits lined up with the Raiders and Chiefs this week. Meanwhile, NFL insider Adam Caplan adds that at least 10 teams have shown “varying levels of interest” in Long already. Clearly, teams aren’t completely scared off by a player who hasn’t been active in an NFL game since Week 4 of the 2019 season.
Long’s return is a cool story on its own. But I’m finding particular interest in his scheduled visits with the Raiders and Chiefs.
Kansas City, for example, has reached the AFC Championship Game in three consecutive years, won the game twice, and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl LIV. It doesn’t take much to envision Long wanting a shot at postseason glory. And who can blame him? Long played his best ball during the Marc Trestman and John Fox years in Chicago. After all that suffering, the guy deserves a shot to do some ring-chasing.
Adding intrigue to the Chiefs visit is that Matt Nagy’s mentor, Andy Reid, is their head coach. I’d be curious to hear if Nagy, who has been the subject of Long’s criticism in the past, would offer up a glowing recommendation for the lineman returning to action. Then again, would it matter? Three-fifths of the Chiefs offensive line could feature new players after cutting ties with both tackles and their center. So there’s clearly a need.
And then there are the Raiders. Howie Long, Kyle’s father, put together a Hall of Fame career for the Raiders from 1981-93. So I imagine suiting up for the silver-and-black like his pops might be a life-long dream for Long. Want a fun bonus? Of course you do! The Raiders could play the Bears if a 17th game is officially approved by the league. Anyone up for a Kyle Long Revenge Game™ just off the Vegas strip?
As for a return to Chicago, I wouldn’t hold my breath. However, I’m still rooting for a happy ending to what could be a fun comeback story.
