Chris Long Would Likely Retire as an Eagle

Eight of defensive end Chris Long’s 11 NFL seasons were spent with the St. Louis Rams.

When it comes time to “officially” retire, however, Long said he would likely do it as a Philadelphia Eagle.

Long, who played with the Eagles for two seasons, and helped them win a Super Bowl in 2017, said as much when he and his father, Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, chatted on the latest episode of his Green Light Podcast.

“In Philly, it was like the city just got a hold of me, so if I ever do the official retirement, something, I'll probably do it as an Eagle,” Chris told Howie, who played his college football at Villanova University.

Long said he would have retired as a Ram because St. Louis was the organization that drafted him second overall out of Virginia in 2008. Except the Rams are in Los Angeles now.

“I'm not an L.A. Ram, I'm a St. Louis Ram, and to be honest, the team that I most associate with now? Boston, I was there for a year, I loved a lot about that, but I didn't live in the city, I wasn't a big part of the community there,” said Long. “Fans were super supportive. But I didn't get to know them the way I knew them in Philly. And a lot of that was geography, putting my head down, I was there for one reason.”

Long added, “But then I might just want to go back to St. Louis, pick my favorite dive bar, and retire as a St. Louis Ram.”

Long played one year with the Patriots and won a Super Bowl there. He arrived as a free agent following the 2016 season with New England and played in all 32 games over his two seasons with the Eagles. He was a key player off the bench of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Long had 11.5 sacks and 38 QB hits in those two seasons.

It didn’t appear that his time in Philly ended amicably, though.

Long had wanted to return at the age of 34, but the Eagles told him his role would be reduced. The defensive end had played 59 percent of the defensive snaps in his final season of 2018 compared to 48 percent in 2017.

Much of the increase in snap time had to do with an injury to Derek Barnett, who played just six games before being put on injured reserve.

In 2017, the Eagles defensive end unit was a terror helping lead Philly to a 41-33 triumph over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

Long always seemed to apply pressure even though he did not get credit for a sack or hurry. Against the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, he tipped the arm of Vikings quarterback Case Keenum that led to an interception from Patrick Robinson that Robinson turned into a pick-six.

The play energized the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field, tied the score at 7-7, and the Eagles rode that momentum to a rout of Minnesota.

Off the field, Long is very active and remains so even in retirement. He won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2018, founded his Chris Long Foundation, and donated his entire 2017 salary to organizations that promote educational equality in the three cities he played in during his 11-year career – St. Louis, Boston, and Philly.

But it is in Philadelphia where Long’s connection remains strongest.