On Friday morning, the Eagles restructured the contracts of linebacker Nigel Bradham and defensive end Chris Long. General manager Howie Roseman is always thinking of ways to create new cap space but what is noteworthy about these moves is the fact that Chris Long has been contemplating retirement.
Back in July, Long stated that once he doesn't get as much playing time anymore then he'll retire:
"Listen, as a competitor, I’m always like, if my coach says, ‘Hey, you’ve got to play 60 plays this week,’ I’m going to smile, because I like to play football. When it comes to the point where I’m playing a really abbreviated role, I don’t want to play anymore. Yeah, 50 percent of the plays was great. I felt great physically."
With the Eagles trading away Michael Bennett this offseason, the chance for increased playing time is there for Long, even with newly acquired defensive tackle Malik Jackson.
Jackson will likely take the snaps of Tim Jernigan, whereas Long will gobble up some of the snaps left behind by Bennett, with the rest going to Derek Barnett and possibly a draft pick.
Production
Long finished 2018 as ProFootballFocus' 25th ranked defensive end. Despite only playing 58.96% of the snaps in 2018, Long finished 27th in total quarterback pressures among all NFL defensive ends.
He also had 6.5 sacks, his most since 2013 when he had 8.5. Even with his age (34 in two weeks) he continues to be a force on the defensive line. He will also come back to a pretty formidable defensive line:
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1105465229884968960
But his value to the Eagles isn't only on the field.
NFL Man of the Year
Chris Long was named the 2018 recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.
This award is given to players who not only excel on the field, but off the field as well.
Long kicked off his tenure in Philadelphia in 2017 by donating his first six game checks to fund scholarships in his hometown of Charlottesville:
He then announced in October in 2017 that he was donating his remaining ten game checks to fund educational equality in the three cities he played during his career: St. Louis, Boston, and Philadelphia.
In 2018, Long pledged a quarter of his salary to the "First Quarter for Literacy" drive. This drive helped bring books to underserved communities. He also pledged to donate up to $25,000 in matching donations to any opposing player who donates. Those matching donations would go to the donor's playing city.
Long recently completed a trip atop Mount Kilimanjaro along with other NFL players and military veterans. This initiative sought to build 32 water wells in Africa, but they surpassed that goal by building 53. They updated their goal to bring clean water to over one million people worldwide.
Not only are the Eagles better with him as a player, they are better with him as a person. The world is also. Thank you Chris and we hope you fly with us for another season.
To donate to his initiatives please follow the links below:
Waterboys
The Chris Long Foundation
Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
