Kyle Long Hinted to Teammates What His Future Plans Are

The Chicago Bears are an organization that is quite familiar with what-if scenarios. They don't come much more depressing than Kyle Long. The giant, athletic son of a Hall of Famer arrived like a whirlwind in 2013 and helped jumpstart one of the best offenses in franchise history. He was on his way up to the status of a top guard in the NFL. If that trajectory held into the next several seasons, there was talk of him joining his father in Canton one day. Sadly, the cruel reality of the sport caught up to him.

From 2016 through this season, the offensive linemen endured a myriad of brutal injuries. It began with a gruesome ankle ailment that saw ligaments torn and tendons snapped. Then it was a shoulder issue. Then it was a neck and then it was a finger. Finally, it was a hip. Every time Long seemed to work his body back into shape, it would break down like again. Four times in the past four seasons he has ended up on injured reserve because of these setbacks.

It's so hard to watch given how popular the man is with the masses. He deserves better. Now he's at a crossroads. Most believe Long has played his final season in Chicago and will be released next spring. What's unclear is what his plans for the future are. Will he attempt to latch on elsewhere? Charles Leno Jr. offered a cryptic answer to that when speaking with Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune.

Leno said he spoke with Long recently and relayed the most significant part of their exchange.

“These are his words,” Leno said. “He said he’s a Bear for life, though. That’s what I remember him saying. And that’s how he wanted to end things.”

The acknowledgment of finality in Leno’s mannerisms was evident.

Kyle Long sounds like he plans to retire a Bear

The way Leno phrased it isn't hard to read into. That makes it seem like Long would rather choose to retire than join another team to continue his career. It's not hard to understand him reaching that decision. Moving his family after so many years in Chicago would be difficult in itself. Putting that body through further punishment with his 32nd birthday on the horizon is likely the true motivating factor in such a decision. While pursuing a Super Bowl remains a dream, the man needs to start thinking about life after football.

He wants to be able to move when he gets older and subjecting an already battered body to further blows will only make that harder. Long has made over $33 million in his NFL career. He should be more than set for the rest of his life financially. There is no question someone of his intelligence and personality will easily be able to find work after his playing days are over. His father is living proof of that. Walking away may not be an easy decision, but it is the right one.