Chicago Bears guard Kyle Long is going to take a pay cut to ensure that he ends his career with the Chicago Bears
With an $8 million cap hit and almost none of his money guaranteed it was expected that the Chicago Bears were either going to face the option of letting Kyle Long go, or trying to get him to restructure his contract.
Coming off of three seasons with games played of eight, nine and eight, Long was not holding up his end of the bargain. Long is now over the age of 30 and it would be tough to move into 2019 with the expectation that he could finish a full season.
Still, the Chicago Bears currently have no depth at guard. Who would step in for Long if they let him go?
The two sides agreed that while Long needed to stay, he was making too much money and was restricting them from helping the team fine-tune the roster.
#Bears RG Kyle Long has agreed to a restructured contract that will create some cap room and ensure he's with the team in 2019. He was due to count $8.5M vs. cap this year. Team player will be back. https://t.co/LAqAUrZ22S
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) February 26, 2019
It is not clear how much the Bears will save on the cap. It is also unclear what will happen with the final two years of his contract, which were not guaranteed. In the most likely situation, they tore up that contract and signed him to a cheaper extension that ensures Long finish his career in Chicago, but also give the Bears cap space to move on if that happens earlier than expected.
Nonetheless, Long tweeted that he is a Bear for life, so it is tough to see any way this deal pushes either side into a corner.
Kyle Long is the type of player you need to build a winning team. He saw the winning environment and wants to be a part of it. Here is hoping for a healthy 2019.