PHILADELPHIA — Chris Long will return to his spot on the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive line next season, according to a report on Phillyvoice.com.
Long, who joined the team as a free agent last season after winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots, quickly became a popular figure in the Philly locker room and with fans. He famously played for free last season after donating his first six game checks to his home town of Charlottesville, Virginia for scholarships and pledging his last 10 game checks to promote educational equality in Philadelphia, Boston and St. Louis — the three cities he made stops in during his 10-year NFL career.
He, along with offensive tackle Lane Johnson, cemented themselves in Philadelphia lore by becoming the first Eagles players to wear dog masks during the NFC playoffs, embracing the team’s “underdog” status in the postseason after the loss of starting quarterback Carson Wentz to a knee injury in Week 13.
Long, 32, had five sacks and four forced fumbles during the regular season for the Eagles. During the playoffs, he was part of a game-changing play against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, hitting the arm of Vikings quarterback Case Keenum while Keenum was throwing. The tip caused an errant pass that was intercepted by Patrick Robinson, who returned the ball 51 yards for a touchdown — the first of 38 unanswered points by the Birds, who won the game, 38-7.
The Eagles went on to defeat New England in Super Bowl LII, giving Long his second title in as many years.
During the offseason, the Eagles reworked Long’s contract, offering him a raise. But there was speculation that Long might retire after he did not immediately re-sign. He was reportedly concerned about his role after Philadelphia acquired defensive end Michael Bennett from the Seattle Seahawks.
But Long has apparently agreed to return to Philly for another season.
“Chris is a hugely important part of our team, and I think sometimes there’s this perception that Chris is hugely important part of the team because of what he does off the field, which is a big part of Chris Long,” general manager Howie Roseman told Phillyvoice while speaking at the annual NFL Owners meeting in Orlando, Fla., on Monday.
“He’s an unbelievable teammate. But Chris Long is really productive, and when you go back and you watch our games against some of the best teams in football and in the NFC — you look at the Rams game, and the Falcons game, you look at the Vikings game, you look at the Super Bowl — the guy is getting consistent pressure on the quarterback.”
