Chris Long To Leave Patriots As Free Agent, Announces Decision On Instagram
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots will be in the market for a new defensive end this offseason. Chris Long announced on his Instagram account on Wednesday that he intends to leave the Patriots and sign with a new team after he becomes an unrestricted free agent on March 9.
Long played in all 16 games for the Patriots in 2016, starting seven and recording 4 sacks to go with 22 total tackles. His snap counts, however, steadily declined from Week 17 on. Long was on the field for only 15 plays in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons.
Despite Long's severely limited role in the Super Bowl, he came up with one of the biggest plays of the game when he drew a holding penalty against Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews. The flag pushed the Falcons out of field goal range and forced them to punt, which allowed Tom Brady to drive the Patriots down the field and tie the game at 28. Of course, the Patriots went on to win 34-28 and complete the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.
Long's comments about his "role" suggest that he is seeking a more regular role with a new team, rather than a rotational role like he had with the Patriots. He also may be seeking to play for a defense that would turn him loose more, rather than Belichick's more conservative approach with defensive linemen.
With both Long and Jabaal Sheard expected to leave via unrestricted free agency, the Patriots will be left with rising star Trey Flowers as the only pure defensive end on the 2017 roster. Rob Ninkovich is also likely to contribute at that spot, but expect the Patriots to add at least one or two edge defenders in free agency and/or April's NFL Draft.