Chris Long is a former American professional football defensive end, two-time Super Bowl champion, philanthropist, podcast host, and the eldest son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long. His name naturally draws interest because he built an accomplished NFL career of his own while carrying the expectations that came with being Howie Long’s son. Long played 11 NFL seasons for the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles, winning consecutive Super Bowls with different teams before retiring in 2019. His story also includes a successful college career at the University of Virginia, a highly regarded charitable record, his marriage to Megan O’Malley, and his continuing work in sports media.
Quick Bio
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Christopher Howard Long |
| Known As | Chris Long |
| Profession | Former professional football player, podcast host and sports media personality |
| Nationality | American |
| Birthplace | Santa Monica, California, United States |
| Birth Year | 1985 |
| Birth Date | March 28, 1985 |
| Education | St. Anne’s-Belfield School; University of Virginia |
| College Position | Defensive end |
| NFL Position | Defensive end |
| Spouse | Megan O’Malley |
| Children | Two sons, according to the Chris Long Foundation |
| Father | Howie Long |
| Mother | Diane Addonizio |
| Siblings | Kyle Long and Howard Long Jr. |
| Known For | 11-season NFL career, two Super Bowl titles and charitable work |
| NFL Draft | Second overall, 2008, St. Louis Rams |
| Current Status | Retired from professional football; active in sports media |
| Public Presence | Green Light with Chris Long podcast and other sports-media work |
Who Is Chris Long?
Chris Long is a former NFL defensive end whose career became notable for much more than his family name. Born Christopher Howard Long on March 28, 1985, in Santa Monica, California, he grew up as the eldest of three sons of Howie Long and Diane Addonizio. The family later established roots in Charlottesville, Virginia, where Chris attended St. Anne’s-Belfield School before playing college football at the University of Virginia. Although his father had already established a legendary reputation as a Raiders defensive end and Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Chris developed an identity based on his own performance. The NFL selected him second overall in the 2008 draft, and he eventually became a two-time Super Bowl champion, winning with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. He finished his playing career with 70 sacks and 15 forced fumbles across 162 games.
Background in Professional Football
Long’s football background was shaped by both natural ability and an unusually strong family connection to the sport, but his accomplishments began before he entered the NFL. At St. Anne’s-Belfield, he developed into a highly regarded defensive prospect and then became one of the University of Virginia’s most decorated defensive players. His 2007 senior season was particularly significant: Long earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors, won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end, and became a unanimous first-team All-American. He recorded 14 sacks and 19 tackles for loss that season and finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting, an exceptional result for a defensive player. Virginia later documented that his collegiate career included 22 sacks and 43 tackles for loss, while his jersey was retired before the end of his senior season. These achievements helped establish that his path to the NFL was based on his own performance rather than simply his status as Howie Long’s son.
Marriage or Relationship with Megan O’Malley
Chris Long married Megan O’Malley on June 22, 2013, in Charlottesville, Virginia, and their relationship has remained an important part of his life outside football. O’Malley attended the University of Virginia and was a member of the university’s women’s lacrosse program, giving the couple a shared connection to Charlottesville and the university community. Their partnership has also extended into philanthropy: during Long’s playing career, Chris and Megan supported educational initiatives and charitable projects through the Chris Long Foundation. In 2017, for example, the foundation announced scholarships connected to Charlottesville after the violence and racial tensions surrounding the Unite the Right rally, with Long specifically explaining that he and Megan wanted to make a positive investment in their community. The foundation continues to identify both Chris and Megan as trustees and says the couple now focuses much of their time on raising their two children while continuing charitable work.
Parenthood and Family Life
Family has remained central to Long’s public story, although he and Megan have generally kept their children’s private lives away from extensive media attention. The Chris Long Foundation states that the couple have two children and that they focus their time on raising them alongside their charitable work. During his NFL career, Long occasionally connected his family life with his community initiatives; in 2018, when launching the First Quarter for Literacy campaign in Philadelphia, he explained that he and Megan read to their son every day and wanted more children to have access to books. His wider family background is equally notable: Chris is the eldest of Howie and Diane Long’s three sons, with younger brothers Kyle Long and Howard Long Jr. Kyle followed Chris into the NFL as a guard, while Howard Jr. pursued work connected to the business and operational side of professional football rather than becoming an NFL player.
Supporting Through a Major Career Transition
One of the most important transitions in Chris Long’s life came when he moved from being an established NFL player to becoming a public figure whose work extended beyond the football field. His charitable commitments were already substantial while he was playing. In 2017, Long announced that he would donate his entire season’s game checks to educational causes, directing support toward organizations including Summer Search Philadelphia, Summer Search Boston, College Bound and The Little Bit Foundation. The same period saw him become increasingly involved in education and community initiatives through the Chris Long Foundation. His work was not limited to financial donations: his public involvement included advocating for educational opportunity, supporting community organizations and participating in projects designed to expand access to clean water and education. These efforts ultimately formed an important part of the public identity he developed alongside his reputation as a professional football player.
Life After the NFL
After 11 seasons, Long announced his retirement from professional football in May 2019 at age 34. His decision came after an unusually successful final stretch of his career, during which he won consecutive Super Bowls with two different teams. He won Super Bowl LI with the Patriots following the 2016 season and Super Bowl LII with the Eagles following the 2017 season, placing him among the small group of players to win consecutive championships for different franchises. Long also finished his career with the 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, recognizing his contributions both on and off the field. Retirement did not remove him from football. Instead, he moved into sports media and developed Green Light with Chris Long, a weekly podcast featuring NFL analysis, interviews, conversations about sports and broader cultural topics. The podcast remains active, with new episodes continuing to be published in 2026.
Career Highlights and Public Recognition
Long’s professional career combines individual production, team success and community recognition in a way that makes his biography distinctive. The Rams selected him second overall in 2008, and he spent eight seasons with the franchise before joining the Patriots in 2016 and Eagles in 2017. His strongest statistical season came in 2011, when he recorded 13 sacks, while his overall NFL totals reached 70 sacks and 15 forced fumbles. His two Super Bowl victories are particularly notable because they came with different organizations in consecutive seasons. Long also received the 2011 NFL Alumni Lineman of the Year honor and later became the 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, one of the league’s most respected recognitions for community impact. At the college level, his résumé was similarly impressive: Virginia records list him as a unanimous All-American, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Ted Hendricks Award winner.
The Connection to Howie Long’s Son
The phrase Howie Long’s son is closely associated with Chris because his father was already an established NFL icon before Chris entered professional football. Howie Long played 13 seasons for the Raiders, earned multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, won Super Bowl XVIII and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. Chris therefore entered the NFL carrying a recognizable surname and an obvious comparison point, but the record shows that he created a substantial legacy independently. The Pro Football Hall of Fame has specifically documented Chris as one of the sons of Hall of Famers to reach the NFL, while the Long family became an unusual example of a father and two sons reaching professional football. Chris and his younger brother Kyle both became NFL players, while Howard Long Jr. pursued football operations. The family’s history therefore connects three different professional paths within the same sport.
Diane Addonizio, Kyle Long and Howard Long Jr.
Chris Long’s family story cannot be fully understood without considering Diane Addonizio, Kyle Long and Howard Long Jr. His mother, Diane, was described by Howie Long during his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech as someone who sacrificed a professional career to support their family and three sons. Chris’s brother Kyle later became a three-time Pro Bowl guard with the Chicago Bears after being selected 20th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft, giving the family another high-profile NFL career. Howard Long Jr. chose a different route and became involved in the operational side of professional football. Official Las Vegas Raiders media guides have listed Howie Long Jr. in the organization’s premium sales department, while earlier NFL material identified him as a Raiders player personnel assistant. Because his current professional responsibilities are not consistently documented in major public biographies, older job descriptions should not automatically be treated as his present title.
Why People Search for Chris Long
People search for Chris Long for several overlapping reasons: his NFL career, his relationship to Howie Long, his two Super Bowl victories, his marriage to Megan O’Malley, his family connection to Kyle Long, and his work after retirement. Search interest also comes from the unusual nature of his championship record, because Long won Super Bowl titles with the Patriots and Eagles in consecutive seasons. His charitable work adds another dimension, particularly his decision to donate his 2017 game checks toward educational opportunities and his continuing foundation work with Megan. More recently, his Green Light podcast has kept him visible in the football conversation, where he discusses current NFL issues while drawing on his experience as a former player. As a result, Chris Long is not simply a former athlete whose relevance ended with retirement; his public career has developed into a combination of football analysis, interviews, philanthropy and community engagement.
Privacy, Accuracy and Public Information
Information about Chris Long’s professional career is well documented through NFL, University of Virginia, Pro Football Hall of Fame and foundation records, while details about his wife, children and extended family are more limited and should be treated with appropriate privacy. Public sources confirm Long’s marriage to Megan O’Malley and that the couple have two children, but personal details about the children are not necessary to understand his biography and are not expanded here beyond information the family or reputable organizations have publicly shared. Similarly, some websites publish estimates about the family’s finances, private residences, ages or personal circumstances without authoritative documentation; those claims are deliberately excluded. This approach is important because a trustworthy biography should distinguish between verified career facts and material that has not been reliably disclosed. Where current information about relatives such as Howard Long Jr. is incomplete, it is more accurate to say that the information is not clearly documented than to present an old job description as a confirmed current position.
Conclusion
Chris Long’s story is ultimately larger than the label Howie Long’s son. He entered football with an extraordinary family legacy behind him, but his own résumé stands on its own: a decorated Virginia career, a second-overall NFL selection, 11 professional seasons, 70 sacks, two Super Bowl championships with different teams, and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. His life after football has continued along a similarly distinctive path through philanthropy, family life and sports media. His marriage to Megan O’Malley and his work through the Chris Long Foundation have reinforced the importance of education, community and service in his public identity, while Green Light with Chris Long has allowed him to remain closely connected to the sport that shaped his career. Together, these achievements explain why Chris Long remains a notable figure in American football even after stepping away from the NFL.
Also read: Mychal Thompson: The Remarkable Journey of a Bahamian Basketball Player
FAQs
Who is Chris Long?
Chris Long is a former NFL defensive end, two-time Super Bowl champion, philanthropist and sports-media personality who played 11 seasons professionally.
Is Chris Long Howie Long’s son?
Yes, Chris Long is the eldest son of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and Diane Addonizio.
Who is Chris Long’s wife?
Chris Long’s wife is Megan O’Malley, whom he married in Charlottesville in June 2013; the couple have two children.
How many Super Bowls did Chris Long win?
Chris Long won two Super Bowls, taking consecutive championships with the New England Patriots in 2017 and Philadelphia Eagles in 2018.
What does Chris Long do now?
Chris Long remains active in sports media through his Green Light podcast, where he discusses football, interviews guests and analyzes current NFL topics.
Who are Chris Long’s brothers?
Chris Long’s younger brothers are Kyle Long, a former NFL Pro Bowl guard, and Howard Long Jr., who worked in professional football operations.
