The soon-to-be 32-year-old tackle announced his decision on Twitter on Monday, almost nine years to the day after he was picked above defensive end Chris Long and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.
Long, who last appeared in a handful of games for the Minnesota Vikings in 2016, said his desire to play has been trumped by his body. Long, suffering from multiple torn ACLs that derailed an excellent career, has not played more than 10 games in a season since 2013.
While the casual fan will dismiss Long as injury prone, it's easy to forget how talented he was over his first four seasons. Thought to be a 10-year solution to Miami's offensive line woes, Long came in during a rugged Bill Parcells/Tony Sparano regime and flourished. He made more than 60 consecutive starts before having his first brush with the injury report in 2011. He was at the head of a fantastic offensive tackle class in 2008 that included Ryan Clady, Branden Albert, Duane Brown and Josh Sitton.
Long recently posted a story about attending the NFL business academy back at his alma mater, the University of Michigan, perhaps with an eye on his future.
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