Former NFL star Chris Long went viral on TikTok after sharing a snippet of his “Green Light Podcast,” where he revealed the surprising way he met another NFL player: while playing Madden online.
Long posted the clip to the podcast’s TikTok (@greenlightpodcast), explaining how what started as a casual late-night game turned into a conversation with “the coolest guy in the world.”
The story clearly struck a chord. As of Sunday, his video has garnered more than 1.7 million views.
Who Was He Playing Against?
Long says late-night Madden is how he likes to “decompress,” but he usually keeps it quiet.
“When I play Madden, I mute the other person usually, and I mute my microphone,” he says. “I’m not on there to talk to people.”
But he unmuted during a recent game—one he was winning—to catch what his opponent was saying.
“This dude’s hilarious,” Long recalled. “He’s not talking trash.” Instead, the player was calling out plays like someone who “knows ball.”
Curious, Long unmuted himself and told the guy he was funny. His opponent fired back a compliment of his own, saying Long was pretty good at Madden. Then he casually mentioned he “got a cup of coffee in the pros.”
Bit by bit, the player revealed more: he’d gone to Florida State, had a stint with the Green Bay Packers, and yes—knew Tucker Kraft. That’s when Long came clean about his own career: eight years with the Rams, two with the Eagles, and one with the Patriots.
Finally, the mystery player introduced himself: Camren McDonald, former FSU tight end and Packers player. Long says McDonald already knew about his podcast, and the two “hit it off immediately.”
“I know a football player when I hear one,” Long said, calling McDonald “the coolest guy in the world.”
Who Is Chris Long?
If you followed the NFL in the 2010s, you already know his name. Chris Long was a dominant defensive end who spent 11 seasons in the league, carving out a career that most players can only dream of.
He played college ball at the University of Virginia, where he was such a standout that the school retired his jersey number 91 in 2007. The St. Louis Rams selected him second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, and he spent eight seasons with the team before moving on to the New England Patriots in 2016 and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 and 2018.
Long became a back-to-back Super Bowl champ, first with the Patriots in Super Bowl LI and then again with the Eagles in Super Bowl LII. But it wasn’t just his play on the field that made him a fan favorite—he was widely respected for his work off it. In 2018, he won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his philanthropy, which included donating his entire salary one season to fund education initiatives.
He officially hung up his cleats on May 18, 2019, but he didn’t disappear from the football world. Instead, Long launched the “Green Light Podcast,” where he breaks down the game, interviews players and coaches, and clearly still has just as much fun talking about football as he did playing it.
And if the Madden story proved anything, it’s that Long still loves connecting with players and fans in unexpected ways—whether that’s through a podcast mic or a late-night video game session.
@greenlightpodcast Chris is making friends on Madden again 😂 @BetMGM @EA Madden NFL #madden #eamadden
Fans Can’t Get Enough Of The Madden Meet-Cute
Viewers loved Long’s story and couldn’t believe Madden managed to match up two NFL players for a random game—and that they hit it off so fast.
“Not the Madden algorithm pairing up pro football players and calling it a coincidence,” one man wrote.
“This is what the internet should have been about the whole time,” another added.
“That was the coolest story I’ve ever heard,” said a third.
“This is what Madden is all about,” a fourth agreed.
Some fans immediately wanted to see the two link up again—this time for the podcast.
“Need to get him on the podcast,” one man wrote.
“Let’s get Camren McDonald on the podcast,” another said.
“Get him on the pod! Or weekly Madden match and post the highlights,” suggested a third.
Others were just impressed by McDonald’s wording and knew right away he was a good hang.
“‘Got a cup of coffee in the pros’ is the coolest way I’ve heard someone say they were in the NFL,” one commenter wrote.
“‘Got a cup of coffee in the pros’ would go so hard to be able to say, ngl,” added another.
BroBible has reached out to Long via a direct message on TikTok.