Chris Long told the Eagles he will play this season
No worries, Eagles fans. Chris Long told the team that he would play this season.
The past couple of months have been tough on Philadelphia Eagles defensive end, Chris Long. As he sat back and enjoyed his second consecutive Super Bowl victory, he remained concerned about his future with the game of football. At the age of 32, heading into his 11th season in the NFL, Long was undecided on if he wanted to continue to play or not.
The Eagles might’ve been aware of Long’s conflictions. So they did the veteran a solid a re-worked his contract into his favor. The Eagles issued Long a raise from a $1 million salary, to a $2.5 million salary. This season he will be set to make $3 million guaranteed.
Even though the Eagles did Long a solid, he was still unsure of his future. As we all know, money means nothing to the veteran. Just last season, Long sent all of his game checks to fund his charitable donations from the Chris Long Foundation. So the Eagles attempt at buying Long’s second and final season on his contract would not exactly get him to come back.
But worry no more Eagles fans, because it looks like Chris Long will come back for another season. He hinted at returning just last week, but according to league sources, he has told the Eagles that he will be suited up and ready to go for 2018.
Straight from the source:
On #Eagles DE Chris Long, there's been some speculation on his future (whether he's going to play this season or not). League source confirms he has told the team that he's playing.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 26, 2018
And @FieldYates reported recently that the team re-did his contract:https://t.co/5o6S9ZBQdB
There you have it. The Eagles defensive line will not lose another impact playmaker. Not this year, at least. Long will most-likely play his 11th and final season this year, but don’t think that he doesn’t have much gas left in the tank. He merely stated in an interview last month that the two Super Bowl victories are what made him believe he could be finished.
Next: Eagles fans under investigation by the NFL?
Long made a significant difference on the Eagles defense in 2017, despite being a rotational player. He finished out the season with 28 tackles, five sacks, and four forced fumbles. One of those fumbles being the game-sealing strip sack against the Los Angeles Rams to win the NFC East back in December. So rotational player or not, having Long back is a major plus for the Eagles defense in 2018.