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Well, it was a fun idea while it lasted.
For a good minute, it looked like the Las Vegas Raiders were going to sign Kyle Long. The son of Hall of Famer Howie Long just recently came out of retirement and seemed like a logical fit with the silver and black. He met with the team and had a workout but didn’t land a deal.
He quickly flew over to Kansas City to meet with the Chiefs and inked a one-year deal with the Raiders’ archrival. It’s one thing for Long to decide against signing with Las Vegas but to go and sign with the enemy was certainly a bold move. Not only that, he took a bit of a dig at his dad’s former team.
“It feels awkward landing in a city that you don’t consider home, but when you walk into this building here in Kansas City, it becomes apparent that things are different here,” Long said, via Fox 4. “Sitting in Coach Reid’s office, I just knew this is where I wanted to be and if they wanted to have me, I was going to do everything in my power to make this happen.”
The line that people are focusing on is when he says “things are different here” in relation to the Raiders. Good for him for landing with the Super Bowl contenders but Las Vegas probably isn’t too bummed he went elsewhere.
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Raiders Better off Without Long
First of all, it’s not clear the Raiders even made Long an offer. The fact that the Chiefs are only paying him $1.45 million in guaranteed money likely means that he didn’t receive one. Also, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur hinted that Long had a bad workout with the Raiders.
He was once a Pro Bowl-level player but he hasn’t played more than 10 games in a season since 2015. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy. During the 2019 season, he only received a 38.0 grade at Pro Football Focus, which is really bad. It’s possible he returns to form but the Raiders really didn’t need to risk money on a player just because he shares the same last name as a franchise legend.
Another Layer to Raiders-Chiefs Rivalry
If it hasn’t become clear over the last 60 years, the Raiders and Chiefs really don’t like each other. The rivalry hasn’t been much of a rivalry over the last two decades but Las Vegas reignited things last season when they went to Arrowhead and beat the Chiefs. They almost were able to do it a second time and complete the sweep.
Though Kansas City obviously has the better team, the Raiders have figured out how to compete with them. Now that Long scorned the silver and black to join the Chiefs, there’s just another layer added to the rivalry. Even if the Raiders aren’t as good in 2021, there will be a lot of excitement surrounding their matchups with Kansas City.
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