Austin was pretty much gone whether we signed anyone or not. If we sign Adams, then he goes to the top of the list and Long is where Austin is now.
Long is on the last year of his deal, and he's 32. We probably shouldn't sign him to an extension, especially if we bring in Adams. Long is probably going to get a better deal if he leaves now than if he is 33 and has spent the last year on the bench. So I think he has to seriously think about exploring his options.
And I don't think we would stop him since he's been a loyal servant this whole time. And we could possibly get a small sum of money for him, instead of losing him for nothing and paying him way too much to be a sub. It's a move that works out for both sides.
Hasenhuttl said about Austin that if a player wants to stay and has a good attitude he will not force them out. But he can't guarantee them a role in the squad, and so he understands if they want to leave he won't stop them. I think that applies to Long as well. They only have one year left so it doesn't cost much to keep them, and it's not like anyone is going to pay us a huge sum of money for them. So it's fine if they stay. But it doesn't make that much sense for the player.