Former Los Angeles Rams defensive end Chris Long is now on his way to New England to play for Bill Belichick and the Patriots. The financial details haven’t been released, but Long and the Patriots agreed to a 1-year deal according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.
The Rams cut Long earlier this offseason in order to clear up some salary cap space. Long did have a successful run early in his career and made an immediate impact after being drafted second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He has been plagued with injuries the past two seasons, and only started 11 of the 32 games.
The 31-year-old will replace former New England defensive end Chandler Jones who was traded to the Arizona Cardinals earlier today. If Long contributes like he used to, he can expect at least one more big payday before he retires.
William Hayes is expected to replace Long and start opposite end of Robert Quinn. Long earned 195 tackles, 54.5 sacks and eight force fumbles in eight seasons with the Rams.
Source: NFL.com, Pro-football-reference.com
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