ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 03: Chris Long holds the Walter Payton Award with JJ Watt during Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
After 11 years, back-to-back Super Bowl victories with New England and Philly, and a history of community involvement, Long calls it a career on Twitter.
Defensive end Chris Long, who spent the first eight years of his career struggling to win before winning two titles, called it a career on Saturday afternoon via a message on Twitter.
Long, who turned 34 in March, was the No. 2 overall pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2007 and played with the team through the 2015 season. He then signed with New England in 2016 and helped the Patriots to the Super Bowl title that season, playing a key role with a quarterback sack in the fourth quarter. His play helped force overtime as the Patriots came back after being down 28-3.
Long then played the final two years of his career with Philadelphia, helping the Eagles win their first Super Bowl in the 2017 season, when they won a shootout against New England. During that season, Long donated his entire salary to benefit educational causes.
Long also worked tirelessly with other teammates on social justice issues, serving as an intermediary with the league on numerous occasions to help promote understanding of racial inequity in the criminal justice system.
Long finished his career by being named the Walter Payton Man of the Year for the 2018 season. That’s the highest off-field award for an NFL player.
Long comes from a storied football family. His father Howie was a Hall of Fame player with the Raiders and his brother Kyle became a standout offensive lineman.