Tag: Kyle Long

Is Kyle Long hinting at his Bears future?

RG Kyle Long has been a staple on the Bears’ line since 2013, but his future in Chicago looks like it’s reached its end.

The last time Kyle Long suited up to play a game for the Chicago Bears was over two months ago during the team’s matchup against the Oakland Raiders. But following their 24-21 loss, Long was placed on injured reserve, officially due to a hip injury, but wear and tear was also cited as the veteran struggled on the line when he was active. The move was seen as the final nail in Long’s Bears career.

Following the injury designation, Long had maintained radio silence, not posting on social media or speaking with reporters as he’s been away from the team. He finally emerged on Thanksgiving and returned to social media, live-tweeting the Bears-Lions game. He then continued the next week, posting and live-streaming his reactions to the Bears win against the Cowboys on Thursday, even providing a must-listen call of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s touchdown run.

But in the midst of his fun and lighthearted posts are some signs that the guard knows his time as a Bear is done after this season. Following Thursday’s game, Long posted a message saying he’s disappointed he can’t help the team on the field, but is “looking forward to what’s next.”

A few days later, he retweeted a viral video of two moose fighting and tagged defensive lineman and teammate Akiem Hicks, comparing the fight to their battles in practice and said, “I’m gonna miss this.”

Even prior to the injury, Long was projected to be a free agent in 2020 as he was in the final guaranteed season of his contract after restructuring his deal earlier this year. The Bears have a team option for 2020 that would pay the 31-year old $6 million in base salary, but the team isn’t expected to exercise it, leading to questions about what’s next.

When asked about retirement, however, the former Pro-Bowl lineman said he still plans to play in 2020 and isn’t shutting the door on his Bears career just yet. These posts, however, seem to indicate Long has come to terms with his future with the team.

Long will still be cheering his teammates on, hopefully through more live streams as well. Whether Long does retire or plays in 2020, there’s no denying the impact he’s had on the Bears since he was drafted in 2013.

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Kyle Long’s reaction to Mitchell Trubisky’s 4th TD vs. Cowboys will fire you up

There was plenty of excitement surrounding Mitchell Trubisky’s performance against the Cowboys, but no one was more excited than Kyle Long.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had the game of his life against the Cowboys on Thursday Night Football. The third year QB accounted for all four of Chicago’s touchdowns, including a 23-yard rushing touchdown that effectively sealed the game in the fourth quarter.

While there was plenty of excitement surrounding Trubisky’s superb performance — and him finally using his legs to make plays this season — no one had a better reaction than Trubisky’s teammate Kyle Long, who was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Oct. 13.

Trubisky completed 23-of-31 passes for 244 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 115.5 passer rating. He also added 63 yards on the ground and a score.

But it was more than the stats that stood out with Trubisky. It was his decision making, it was his ability to make high-level NFL throws, threading the needle and placing the ball where it needed to go. It was Trubisky recognizing that his mobility is a strength that he needs to utilize more often.

Trubisky has put together five straight solid performances, with his best play coming in the past two weeks. With the Bears still very much “in the hunt” for a playoff berth, we’ll see if Trubisky can replicate that success in these final three regular season games, starting with Green Bay next Sunday.

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