The son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and older brother of NFL guard Kyle Long, he played college football at the University of Virginia and won the Ted Hendricks Award as a senior.

He later played one season for the New England Patriots and two for the Philadelphia Eagles, winning a Super Bowl title with each.

He also received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2018 for his charitable work, which included donating his entire 2017 salary to charity.

[9] Long played college football at the University of Virginia under head coach Al Groh from 2004 to 2007, while pursuing a degree in sociology.

At the end of his 2008 rookie season he was voted All-Rookie by the Pro Football Writers Association and Sporting News.

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.

On September 17, 2011, the Rams and Long agreed to a restructuring of his contract to free money under the salary cap.

Including the prorated signing bonus amount, Long had an $18.3 million cap number for the 2012 season.

[30] 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.

Additionally, according to Football Outsiders.com Long led NFL defensive ends in hurries for the third straight season.

[29] On October 24, 2013, Long was ejected and fined $15,750 for throwing a punch at Carolina Panthers guard Chris Scott early in the third quarter.

[38] Against the Colts, Long recovered an Andrew Luck fumble and ran it in for a touchdown, his first NFL score, and was named co-NFC Defensive Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated (along with Robert Quinn).

[39][40] On September 10, 2014, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher announced Long would spend two months recovering from ankle surgery.

The Patriots trailed 28–3 in the third quarter, but rallied all the way back to win the game by a score of 34–28 against the Atlanta Falcons, which featured the first overtime game in Super Bowl history and the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.

[44] Although not appearing in any statistical category during the game, Long played a crucial part in the team's comeback when Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews was called for holding Long on an eight-yard catch that would have put the Falcons at the Patriots 26-yard line for a potential game-sealing field goal.

[1] Long played in all 16 games in the 2017 season, recording 5 sacks and a career high 4 forced fumbles.

Long, along with fellow ex-New England Patriot, LeGarrette Blount, helped the Eagles defeat their former team in Super Bowl LII.

[48][49][50] Following the 2018 season, Long was named the recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his efforts regarding clean water, military appreciation and youth education.

[54] The Green Light Podcast features in-depth interviews with celebrities, musicians and athletes, commentary from Long and his co-hosts, football analysis and sports gambling coverage.

[55][56] In 2017, Long stated that he would donate his entire season's salary to charity,[1] with the money going to a different cause each week.

[57] Long said in a statement: "I hope it won't stop here, but that more people will become inspired to commit energy and resources to our educational system.