Delaware County Daily Times: https://tinyurl.com/3k522jjj
Originally published Oct. 6, 2026
Lane Johnson, one of the greatest offensive linemen in Philadelphia Eagles history, has retired.
The five-time All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Super Bowl champion right tackle announced on social media Tuesday afternoon that he is walking away after 14 seasons and 171 starts — all with the Eagles.
The decision came two days after Johnson, 36, was a late scratch before the Eagles’ 24-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams due to personal reasons.
“Philadelphia, you truly are the City of Brotherly Love,” Johnson’s post read in part. “The best fans and the most prideful city in the entire world.
“I have given it my all for 14 years, season after season. … I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year, to take the field with my brothers for one last season. But after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized my personal and family priorities in my life have changed. Right now, it is critical that I focus on my mental health.
“I owe it to my teammates, coaches, the organization and the fans to have my head and heart 100 percent in the game. And right now my heart is telling me that it’s time to say goodbye to football.”
It is an abrupt ending. But not an entirely unexpected one.
Johnson missed four practices during training camp for family reasons involving the health of his parents. Upon returning, he said 2026 would “potentially, probably be my last year,” citing a change in priorities.
His oldest child was about to turn 13. His parents were getting older. Football had swallowed much of his adult life.
“It’s hard to get time back,” Johnson said in August.
In 2021, Johnson stepped away from the Eagles for three games while dealing with depression and anxiety. He later spoke publicly about a struggle he had hidden even from people close to him. His openness turned him into one of the NFL’s most prominent advocates for mental-health awareness.
Five years later, he has decided not to fight his own warning signs for the sake of squeezing a few more Sundays out of his body.
And that body has been through plenty.
Johnson’s 2025 season ended after 10 games because of a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot suffered against Detroit. He missed the final seven regular-season games and the Eagles’ wild-card loss to San Francisco.
He returned this year partly because he didn’t want an injury to write the final sentence of his career.
“I didn’t want to go out that way,” Johnson said in June.
Johnson started the first three games this season. His final appearance was in a 27-7 defeat to the Bears in Chicago on Monday Night Football Sept. 28.
Former defensive end Brandon Graham hinted on PHLY Post Game on Sunday that Johnson might call it quits.
It was a remarkable career.
The Eagles selected Johnson fourth overall out of Oklahoma in 2013. His path there hardly screamed future Hall of Fame offensive tackle. Johnson had been a high school quarterback in tiny Groveton, Texas. He also competed in track and field throwing events, excelling in the shot put.
Johnson played quarterback in junior college, then bounced from tight end to defensive end before finally growing into an offensive tackle at Oklahoma.
The experiment worked.
Johnson became the rare right tackle who could erase elite edge rushers while still having the athleticism to get into space and flatten somebody downfield. According to Pro Football Focus, his streak of 1,405 consecutive pass-blocking snaps without allowing a sack is the longest by a tackle in the PFF era.
He earned first-team All-Pro honors twice and second-team honors three times. His six Pro Bowl selections are second-most by an Eagles offensive tackle, behind only Jason Peters’ seven.
Even more important in Philadelphia, he won.
Johnson played on three NFC championship teams and two Super Bowl championship teams. He helped protect Carson Wentz and Nick Foles during the Eagles’ run to their first Super Bowl title in the 2017-18 season. Seven years later, he was still here when the Eagles won another.
He blocked for two NFL rushing champions, LeSean McCoy in 2013 and Saquon Barkley in 2024. That 2024 offensive line helped Barkley run for 2,005 yards in the regular season and an NFL-record 2,504 including the playoffs.
Johnson also became the last great holdover from an Eagles offensive-line generation that included Peters, Jason Kelce and Brandon Brooks.
Now he is gone, too.
For the present-day Eagles, the timing is brutal. Rookie Markel Bell started at right tackle Sunday with Johnson out. The offensive line already had been torn apart by injuries, and Philadelphia has lost two straight after a 2-0 start.
Bell held up OK in fill-in duty. The Eagles drafted with the hope he’d be Johnson’s eventual replacement. But in many ways, from on-field performance to locker room leadership, there’s no replacing Lane Johnson.
Statement from team owner Jeffrey Lurie
“Lane Johnson is an all-time Eagle and one of the best players ever to play his position in NFL history. Lane was a major contributor to our team success for 14 seasons, helping to bring two Super Bowl Championships and many other memorable moments to the organization and the City of Philadelphia,” Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said.
“Lane excelled under multiple coaching staffs, maintaining an elite level of play throughout his entire career. His combination of talent, strength, athleticism, and intelligence made him a truly unique player in this league, and there is no doubt in my mind that one day he will be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Beyond his on-field accomplishments, Lane has done a tremendous amount to give back to the community through his numerous charitable endeavors. The courage he has shown using his own personal experiences to advocate for mental health awareness has undoubtedly saved lives.
“We appreciate everything Lane has contributed to our organization, and we wish him and his family nothing but the best.”
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X and Threads at @the_defranc.
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X and Threads at @the_defranc.