Tag: Manish Mehta

Is former Bears RG Kyle Long considering a return to football?

Former Bears RG Kyle Long denied reports that he’s been contacted by the Jets about returning to football.

Former Chicago Bears right guard Kyle Long’s return to the NFL lasted about as long as a few games of Fortnite.

On Friday morning, a report surfaced from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that said the New York Jets’ front office had spoken with Long about coming out of retirement to join the AFC East squad. But after a short period of time, the 31-year old came out and refuted those reports.

According to Rick Taristano of WGN News, Long said there was no truth of having any conversations with the Jets.

Long announced he was “stepping away” from the game earlier this year after dealing with a litany of injuries over the last four seasons. He spent his entire career with the Bears, earning Pro-Bowl honors in his first three seasons before injuries took a toll on his body.

In 2019, Long played in four games before landing on injured reserve, ending his season prematurely for the third time in his career. After signing a lucrative deal prior to the 2016 season, Long’s contract was restructured, making 2019 his final season under contract as a Bear. Upon the announcement of his deal, Long tweeted “Bear for Life.”

Since Long hung up his cleats, he’s dabbled in local sports media and streaming video games regularly while losing a significant amount of weight. It is worth noting, however, that he has not yet filled out his retirement papers and while he claims the rumors of talks with the Jets are untrue, their general manager Joe Douglas has gone down this road before, convincing former Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil out of retirement last season, per Mehta.

Long has always avoided using the word “retirement” when discussing his decision to walk away from football. While it may still be a possibility at some point, he seems to be enjoying his “gas-station ready” physique?

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