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Report: Kyle Long to Visit Chiefs, Raiders; 'At Least 10 Teams' Interested in OL
March 15, 2021
Veteran offensive lineman Kyle Long will meet with the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders as he prepares for his return to the NFL, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio reported "at least 10 teams" have signaled a level of interest in the three-time Pro Bowler.
Chris Long confirmed March 9 his younger brother was ending his brief retirement from the league:
Kyle announced in January 2020 he was walking away to allow his body to heal up. However, he explained how he felt the itch to return and enjoy some of the more personal interactions he experienced with teammates.
"I miss sitting next to the D-line after a hard practice and talking smack about how they all said I was holding," he said on Green Light with Chris Long (via Jordan Cohn of Radio.com).
"I miss sitting with the offensive line at breakfast at six in the morning. I miss the group texts. I miss all of it, man. I miss competing. I miss lining up and saying, 'watch this s--t.' Like, you get in the huddle, the play's called, you turn to your buddy and you say, 'watch this s--t.' I miss that."
Long is still only 32, and the hiatus may have been the best thing for him considering he missed 34 games over his past four seasons.
Teams looking to strengthen the interior of their offensive line would be foolish not to reach out because the upside is huge if he can return to something resembling the player who made those three Pro Bowls.
The Chiefs have already released starting tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, and the pair of Nick Allegretti and Andrew Wylie are tentatively penciled in to start at the two guard spots. Signing Long would be a no-brainer.
The Raiders, meanwhile, are looking to replace Gabe Jackson after lining him up to be released, per ESPN's Josina Anderson. There's also the sentimental aspect of Long suiting up for the franchise for whom his father, Howie, built a Hall of Fame career.