Even before his short-lived retirement, newest Chief Kyle Long knew he would play again
Newest Chiefs guard Kyle Long was once widely regarded as an elite NFL offensive linemen. But injuries took a toll on his career from 2016-19 while he was with the Chicago Bears.
From 2013-15, Long had been the model of durability, appearing in 47 games, all starts, en route to three straight Pro Bowl selections.
The next four seasons, however, saw Long miss a total of 34 games with assorted ailments. The veteran guard announced his retirement in January 2020.
A year away from football proved highly beneficial for Long, who used the time to get himself right mentally and physically.
“It was a tremendous opportunity for me to regain physical, mental and emotional composure, get my feet back under me,” Long said Thursday during a Zoom conference call. “Played a lot of golf, spent a lot of time with my fiancée, got to see my nephews — which was something I didn’t get to do a lot while I was playing — during an informative time in their lives. They needed Uncle around.
“But I knew right away when I was let go in Chicago that I would be back, and I needed to do everything in my power to get myself back to where I knew I could come in and play the level of football that I know I can play.”
To help the journey along, Long said, he trained with former Bears center Olin Kreutz. But in a year away from football, he dropped down to 270 pounds — he’d played at 332.
He said he worked hard to pack weight onto the lower half of his body while training in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“I understand what it takes to play in this game and have success, and not relative success,” he said. “I know what it takes to be dominant in this game. I’ve been Rocky Four-ing it, man, just locking myself in that cabin and getting after it.”
Whatever he did to get himself in shape — including, apparently, mimicking Sylvester Stallone’s training regimen in the fourth installment of the iconic Rocky film series — clearly worked. The Chiefs this week signed him to a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $5 million.
Long’s accomplished football resume before his injuries and high-level character helped impress the Chiefs during Long’s free-agent visit.
“We had an opportunity to meet with Kyle (Wednesday), and what really stood out was how much he loves the game and his drive to get back on the field,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said in a statement. “He’s in great shape, a three-time Pro Bowler and a really smart player with an incredible football pedigree. We’re happy he chose to come here to Kansas City.”
The feeling is mutual.
“I was so excited to make this happen,” Long said, “and I’m looking forward to getting to work.”
