Chris Long apologizes to St. Louis fans, says he's still hungry
The Rams cut defensive end Chris Long last week but he won't be out of work long.
By
Ryan Wilson
•
1 min read
The Rams cleared $23 million in salary-cap space last week when they cut ties with veterans Chris Long, James Laurinaitis and Jared Cook.
Long, the second-overall pick in 2008 who spent all eight NFL seasons with the Rams, took to Instagram to "personally and humbly thank the city of St. Louis again for all your support," adding, "I love y'all so much for sticking with me through the ups and downs."
Long also conceded that he wasn't his usual dominating self in recent years.
"Bottom line is this is a production business. No excuses, the last two years have been sh-t. It's been painful to experience because I care deeply about my performance and responsibility to my teammates."
Despite Long's slip in production (and injuries during that time certainly didn't help), it doesn't sound like he'll be out of work long. From MMQB.com's Peter King: "Though he turns 31 next month, Long will be pursued aggressively by contenders (it’s already happening), because he can be signed before the start of free agency."
But Long may not sign quickly, and it will be by his own doing; King writes that the defensive end could take his time because his wife is due to give birth to the couple's first child in the coming weeks.
Whatever happens, Long seems eager to get back to it.
"I look forward to the next chapter. Hungry and a lot to prove all over again," he wrote shortly after he was cut. "First I'm going to have a beer."
Seems fair.
