Longtime Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long is eager to return to the NFL one year after retiring.
Long, 32, hired agent Jeff Nalley with the intention of being a free agent and finding a place to play next season, a source said. He is fully healthy after a year-plus out of the league and is ready to play at 315 pounds. His last listed size with the Bears was 6-foot-6, 332 pounds, then he dropped all the way to 255 last summer before ramping up in hopes of returning.
Long was one of the most accomplished Bears in recent history and made the Pro Bowl each of his first three seasons. He had major injury trouble, though, and played just 30 games over his last four seasons. The Bears put him on injured reserve four games into the 2019 season and declined his 2020 option.
Given the tension over his exit with the Bears — Long felt they forced him to IR and essentially exiled him from the facility — there is almost no chance of him restarting his career with them.
Last January, Long declared himself a, “Bear for life,” and said, “I’ll never play in another jersey again.”
