Chris Long says he's proud of Luke Kuechly for hanging up his cleats early ... telling TMZ Sports the NFL is "a dangerous game."
"People got families," the former Eagles and Patriots Super Bowl champ says. "Good for him."
Kuechly, at just 28 years old, announced his retirement earlier this week ... and a lot of people are questioning whether it was the right call given what he's got left in the tank.
But, when we got Long out in D.C., he told us he's all for the move .