Lane Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday afternoon, ending a magnificent career with the Eagles that included two Super Bowl victories, three NFC Championships, five Associated Press All-Pro Awards, and six Pro Bowl seasons.
One of the greatest ever has decided that now is the time to end his football career.
"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."
A first-round draft pick in 2013, No. 4 overall, from Oklahoma, Johnson established himself as a premier right tackle in the NFL, blending a rare combination of great athletic ability, intelligence, technique, toughness, and force to dominate that side of the line of scrimmage.
Johnson also dedicated himself off the field, recording three holiday albums with fellow Eagles offensive linemen Jason Kelce and Jordan Mailata to raise millions of dollars for local charities. Johnson was named the team's 2023 nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, considered the most prestigious individual award in the league, given to the person who combines excellence on the field with a passion and commitment for helping in the community as well.
The decision here follows Johnson's announcement in the summer that the 2026 season would be his final one. Citing family and life balance, Johnson talked prior to the start of the regular season about the next steps in his life.
"As you get older, things change in your life, priorities. Your children get older, your parents get older, it just puts things into perspective," he said. "It's looking like this is potentially going to be probably my last year just because I am getting to that point. Those priorities away from football are starting to merge. I love everything about this game and am preparing for it, but this is kind of where I'm at in my career."
Health was not a question mark for Johnson after he recovered from a foot injury that ended his 2025 campaign prematurely. Johnson said, "I still feel I can be a premier tackle in this league. My movement, everything, feels good. I just need to stay healthy and keep stacking days."
He started the first three games of the 2026 season, playing 100 percent of the offensive snaps before missing Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams due to "personal reasons." Johnson was still on top of his game, as he ranked first among all NFL offensive tackles in both pass block grade and pass block win rate prior to Week 4.
"I just want to be known as obviously a great player, somebody that was always nice to kids, nice to people in the building. And hopefully somebody that helped elevate the guys, was a good teammate and fun to be around," Johnson said the day he announced that 2026 would be his final season. "I want to be seen as a guy that continually got better as he aged.
"Where some guys when they hit 30 kind of nosedive. Kind of opposite of me. It's lucky, man. Not everybody lands at a good organization where you have success, and you have the opportunity to stack year upon year. I'm really fortunate, and I'm trying to soak in these last six or seven months."
From a football standpoint, the Eagles will now turn to rookie third-round draft pick Markel Bell, who started on Sunday against the Rams and played the entire game against a very good Los Angeles defensive front.
Bell is in line to start his second game on Sunday in London against Jacksonville.
"I think Markel did some really good things," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said on Monday. "Just like all of us, we want plays back also. By no means did he play a perfect game, but he did some really good things. I think that watching the tape with the team, with some of the things that we show, he got some really good movement on some double teams and second-level stuff that we were able to show and highlight and point out for his teammates to see.
"Like anybody in this game of football, you never pitch a perfect game. There are things that we've got to correct as well. I thought he was solid."
