Background and career
Christopher Howard Long (born March 28, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. The son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and older brother of NFL guard Kyle Long, he played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers and won the Ted Hendricks Award as a senior. Long was selected by the St. Louis Rams second overall in the 2008 NFL draft, where he spent eight seasons. He later played one season for the New England Patriots and two for the Philadelphia Eagles, winning a Super Bowl title with each. Long is one of six players to win consecutive Super Bowls for different teams, having won Super Bowl LI with the Patriots and Super Bowl LII with the Eagles. He also received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2018 for his charitable work, which included donating his entire 2017 salary to charity.
Chris Long was born in Santa Monica, California and is a son of Hall of Fame NFL defensive end Howie Long. He has two younger brothers, former NFL guard Kyle Long and Howie Long Jr., a scouting assistant and personnel assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders. He is a great-nephew of film director Irvin Kershner. He appeared in a 1980s anti-underage drinking public service announcement as an infant with his parents. Chris Long is the godson of Hall of Fame Quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Long attended St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia. As a senior in 2003, he was in on 91 tackles, 23 tackles for a loss, and 15 sacks, helping his team to an undefeated record and the state UIL school championship. "He was a big gangly kid who had yet to grow into his body," said John Blake, the St. Anne's-Belfield coach. "But he jumped in with both feet. When he played tackle, he would drive kids 10 or 15 yards down the field, like he was steering a car." He was given a 4-star ranking for college recruiting from Rivals.com, a service that rated him the sixth-best defensive end in the prep ranks. He played in the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Long also played basketball, lacrosse, and baseball in high school.
Long played college football at the University of Virginia under head coach Al Groh from 2004 to 2007, while pursuing a degree in sociology. As a freshman with the Cavaliers in 2004, he was a backup on the defensive line, but missed five games due to mononucleosis. Long ended the season with five tackles (two for a loss) and a sack. As a sophomore in 2005, Long averaged 3.8 tackles per game, leading all Virginia defensive linemen. He totaled 46 tackles, with 10 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. His 26 quarterback pressures led his team. He also shared the team lead in pass break-ups with seven. In 2006, Long earned second-team All-ACC honors and was voted team captain. While starting all games, Long recorded 57 tackles, 12 for a loss, and 4 sacks. His 4.8 tackles per game was fourth among ACC defensive lineman. He was also a finalist for the Dudley Award, for the most outstanding player in the Commonwealth of Virginia and was an All-State selection. Following his senior season in 2007, Long was recognized as a unanimous First-team All-American. Long was fourth nationally in tackling by a defensive lineman, averaging 5.3 tackles per game. In addition, North Carolina head coach Butch Davis, who coached against Long in North Carolina's ACC match-ups with Virginia, called Long one of the premier defensive linemen in the country. Long entered the 2007 season on the watch lists for the Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Trophy, Lombardi Trophy, Hendricks Award, and the Lott Trophy. He finished the season as a finalist for the Lombardi, Lott, and Nagurski Trophies. On December 5, Long won the 2007 Hendricks Award, given to the top defensive end in the nation. Long garnered more than 60 percent of the votes, the most ever for a winner in the history of the award. Additionally, Long received a first-place vote and finished 10th in the 2007 Heisman Trophy voting. Long's #91 jersey was retired at the University of Virginia on November 24, 2007, making him the first to have his jersey retired while an active player.
At the NFL Combine, Long did not lift the bench-press reps of 225 pounds because of an injured thumb. Virginia Pro Day Bench press: 370 lbs; Squat: 640 lbs; Power clean: 375 lbs
Long was selected by the St. Louis Rams second overall in the 2008 NFL draft. The selection made him just the second son of a Hall of Famer, after tight end Kellen Winslow II, to be drafted in the first round, the fifth such player ever drafted, and one of two such players drafted in 2008 (the other being Matthew Slater). Following the draft, Rams head coach Scott Linehan named Long a presumptive starter on defense, a notion that Long rejected and instead felt he needed to earn a spot as a starter. The Rams also announced their plans on using Long as both a linebacker and defensive end to showcase his athleticism. Long considered his ability to play multiple positions one of his best assets. On July 19, 2008, Long agreed to terms on a six-year $56.5 million contract with the Rams with $29 million guaranteed. On September 14, 2008, Long recorded his first career sack against Eli Manning of the New York Giants. He recorded his first 2-sack game versus the New England Patriots on October 26, 2008. At the end of his 2008 rookie season he was voted All-Rookie by the Pro Football Writers Association and Sporting News. Long started 16 games (14 at right DE and 2 at left DE) for the Rams in 2008, recording 4 sacks and leading the team in quarterback pressures, with a high of two sacks against the New England Patriots. In 2009, Long again played both left and right defensive end for the Rams and ended the season with 5 sacks, which was second on the team. He also led the team's defensive linemen with 43 tackles (33 solo plus 10 assists) and for the second straight season he led the Rams in quarterback hits/hurries.
In 2010, Long moved to left defensive end, a position previously held by Leonard Little, where he is a more "natural fit" according to his coaches. In Week 6, 2010, against the San Diego Chargers, Long recorded two sacks and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week by the NFL. Long also helped keep the Chargers to 287 total yards. For the third consecutive season, he led the team in hits/hurries. In addition, he led the NFL in hurries in 2010 with 41.5 and in total quarterback disruptions with 67.5 (Quarterback disruptions are the combined total of quarterback sacks, hits, and hurries) and was named fourth alternate to the Pro Bowl. In 2011, Chris Long decided to change his jersey number from 72 to his former collegiate number 91, which was previously worn by Leonard Little. On September 17, 2011, the Rams and Long agreed to a restructuring of his contract to free money under the salary cap. The restructured deal included a $12.1 million signing bonus and a base salary in excess of $10 million in 2012. Including the prorated signing bonus amount, Long had an $18.3 million cap number for the 2012 season. On October 30, 2011, Long had a career-high 3 sacks versus the New Orleans Saints and was named Sports Illustrated's NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. And for the second consecutive season he led the NFL in quarterback disruptions. Long also led the Rams in quarterback hurries with 15 and quarterback hits with 16. He was voted as an alternate to the Pro Bowl for the second time. On July 29, 2012, Long and the Rams agreed to a four-year contract extension. The extension added $50 million over 4 years, with $27 million guaranteed. Counting the existing year of contract (2012) which was reworked in 2011, Long's overall deal ended up at $60 million over 5 years, with $37 million guaranteed. In 2012 Long led the Rams in sacks with 11.5 and again led the team in quarterback hits (24) and hurries (50). Additionally, according to Football Outsiders.com Long led NFL defensive ends in hurries for the third straight season. On December 30, 2012, Long tied a career-high of 3 sacks versus the Seattle Seahawks. He was also voted as a Pro Bowl alternate for the third time.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
