By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Chicago Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long announced his retirement on Sunday. He said that he was “stepping away from football” in a post on social media.
Long spent his entire career with the Bears. He played seven seasons after being drafted by the franchise with the 20th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
“Some Chicagoans are probably happy to hear I’m finally stepping away and getting my body right,” Long said. “Some Chicagoans may be sad to hear this. Either way, [you] feel about it, I want [you] to know how lucky I am to have spent time in your city. I became a man while play in Chicago. Thank you.”
The 31-year-old is the second Long to retire in back-to-back seasons. At the conclusion of the 2018 season, Chris Long, his brother, announced his retirement from the league.
The 34-year-old Long played for the St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots, and the Philadelphia Eagles in his career.
The retired Bears player walks away just one season into a two-year, $12 million deal. The Bears will now face a $1.5 million dead cap hit with Long’s retirement.
During his career in Chicago, he played three positions on the line. He played right guard, left guard, and right tackle.
Long also was a three-time Pro Bowler.
“We think the world of [Long],” Bears GM Ryan Pace said on Tuesday during the team’s end-of-year press conference. “It’s unfortunate he’s had a handful of injuries. He’s tried to battle through all of them. Kyle does have an option in his contract that we got to look at. That will be one of the decisions, one of the many decisions, we have to make on him. But I feel bad for all the injuries he’s tried to overcome. That was a decision we made at the time. Then we’ll have to make another decision this off season with his option.”
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