Guard Kyle Long, a three-time Pro Bowl player with the Chicago Bears, has designs on making a comeback.
Long, 32, has decided to end his NFL retirement after just one season away from the sport, reports Macon Gunter of Green Light Pod.
Coincidentally, the 49ers have uncertainty at right guard, where four different players started games during the 2020 season.
The 49ers could look for a stopgap veteran, such as Long. Or they could move forward with Daniel Brunskill or Colton McKivitz, a fifth-round draft pick in 2020.
Long made three Pro Bowls from 2013 to ’15. But he appeared in just 29 games over his final four seasons due to shoulder, triceps, foot and ankle injuries.
A year ago in Miami, Long talked to NBC Sports Bay Area about what made the 49ers’ offense so successful on its march to Super Bowl LIV.
“There’s a certain type of person they want there,” Long said. “They have an archetype, which is bright, tough and probably great communicators.”
Long singled out 49ers left guard Laken Tomlinson, who earned degrees from Duke University in anthropology and psychology. Tomlinson plans to become a neurosurgeon after his career is over.
“Laken can do open-heart surgery. He can also diagnose blitzes,” Long said. “But he’s also willing to put his neck out there and jack somebody up.”
Long said he could tell from watching the 49ers play that it was a team with outstanding camaraderie. That, he said, is a tribute to general manager John Lynch, who was elected this year into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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“It’s no surprise John Lynch built that. He gets it,” Long said. “He’s been on both sides of it. And if I’m in a locker room and I know that John Lynch is responsible for picking my teammates, I mean, come on.
“Talk about the most alpha dude, one of the most badass people to ever walk out on the field — that’s John Lynch. Now he’s responsible for building teams? Come on, that’s awesome.”
