Julian Edelman shares unique tribute to retired ex-Patriot Chris Long

Chris Long made a lasting impact during his one season with the New England Patriots.

Just ask Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who showed Long some serious love Sunday on Instagram after the veteran defensive end announced his NFL retirement.

View this post on Instagram

Going to miss this guy being in the league. He was Great teammate, and even better example of how to be a pro. His ability to be involved with the community is second to none. The father he is and family man he is everything! He made the game more fun. All this said, still my second favorite Long. Love ya bubs and congrats on an amazing career!

A post shared by Julian Edelman (@edelman11) on May 19, 2019 at 1:53pm PDT

That's Long wearing an eerily accurate mask of Edelman's face back in 2016. In addition to being a locker room favorite and active participant in off-field charity work, Long appeared in all 16 games for New England that season to help the Patriots win a Super Bowl.

The 34-year-old appreciated Edelman's shout-out, thanking the Patriots wideout in the comment section.

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"Love u bubs. We gotta find the mask. Much respect to you. Teammates for a year but champs forever. Appreciate the kind words greatly.✊ "

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Long joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 and earned another Super Bowl victory at the Patriots' expense, but it appears Edelman doesn't hold that against him.

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