Jake Long retired from the NFL after the 2016 season. Eight years later, he’s nearly unrecognizable from his playing days due to a surprising amount of weight loss.
Long was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday for his achievements at the University of Michigan. During his five seasons, Long was a two-time Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and two-time All-American. After his college career, he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins and played nine professional seasons.
As a professional, Long weighed 315 pounds. But the man who showed up at the induction ceremony at Detroit’s MotorCity Casino Hotel was more than 70 pounds lighter, according to the Detroit News’ Tony Paul, who posted a photo of a remarkably thinner Long on social media.
Holy moly, UM football legend Jake Long, member of the @MSHOF Class of 2024, has lost some serious weight. More than 70 pounds in the last couple years. The secret, he said: Peloton and therapy. pic.twitter.com/6AbruWHJyL
— Tony Paul | Detroit News (@TonyPaul1984) October 17, 2024
Long’s secret to losing more than a quarter of his body weight from his NFL days is “Peloton and therapy,” according to Paul.
Perhaps Long has an endorsement deal with Peloton in his future after giving the popular exercise bike a shout-out. How many cardio machines could he sell while showing off a loss of 70-plus pounds?
However, the therapy part is the more serious — and compelling — aspect of Long’s body transformation. After years of trying to keep his weight up to NFL offensive lineman standards, slimming down to a more conventional, and healthier, weight and physique was likely difficult.
Long’s weight stayed consistent throughout his NFL career, though he dropped to 308 pounds after the 2015 season. But before his junior season at Michigan, he shed 22 pounds to help his agility, conditioning and speed. That obviously paid off for Long, who had two All-Big Ten and All-American seasons from there and went on to the NFL.
Add Long to a list of former NFL behemoths who slimmed down to so-called normal size after their playing careers, including Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Russell Okung, Joe Thomas, Mike Golic, Jeff Saturday, Alan Faneca and Brad Culpepper.
Has Netflix considered making a docuseries about these guys and their stories?