The one thing Kyle Long didn’t do much of in his time with the Bears was win. Now he’ll get a shot at the Super Bowl with the Chiefs.
The Chiefs signed Long to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million Wednesday, and he likely will be a utility backup for them. The Chiefs expect to get guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif back from his opt-out, and they signed free-agent guard Joe Thuney to a five-year, $80 million deal.
Long, 32, played seven seasons for the Bears after they drafted him 20th overall in 2013 and retired in January 2020 because of injuries. While he was resolute at the time, he started missing everything about the NFL by summer.
“It’s the easiest decision I’ve ever made,” Long told the Sun-Times when he retired. “I would say 85% of the work wasn’t even football. It was in the doctor’s office or rehabbing. I’m trying to plug holes in a dam with my fingers, and there’s not enough fingers on my body to put into this wall. And that’s OK. That’s the natural curve of the life of a football player.”
He is fully healthy now, a source said, and at 315 pounds, he is checking in 20 pounds lighter than his last listed weight with the Bears.
Various injuries derailed Long after three great seasons to begin his career, and he has not played 16 games in a season since 2015. He played just 30 of 64 games over his final four seasons with the Bears.
