Lane Johnson retires from the NFL as one more Eagles season means time he can’t get back
The two-time Super Bowl champion steps away at 36, leaving Philadelphia with a major loss
Lane Johnson wanted one last season with his teammates. Three games into his 14th NFL campaign, the Philadelphia Eagles’ longtime right tackle decided his family and mental health needed him more. He announced his retirement on October 6, two days after missing Philadelphia’s game against the Los Angeles Rams for personal reasons.
“Right now, it is critical that I focus on my mental health,” Johnson wrote in his farewell statement. The 36-year-old explained that his priorities had changed and that he could no longer give football the complete commitment he believed his teammates, coaches and fans deserved.
Lane Johnson’s goodbye carries a message he spent years helping others hear
For Johnson, speaking openly about mental health has long been part of his life beyond football. In 2021, he stepped away from the Eagles while dealing with anxiety and depression, then publicly discussed his experience after returning. His willingness to explain what he was facing helped challenge the idea that an elite athlete’s strength makes him immune to emotional struggles.
He subsequently became an advocate for accessible support, partnering with Kooth to raise awareness of mental health resources for Philadelphia’s young people. The Eagles nominated him for the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. In their retirement tribute, owner Jeffrey Lurie praised that advocacy alongside his football achievements, saying Johnson’s courage in sharing his experiences had saved lives.
The football résumé is extraordinary: 171 regular-season games, all starts, six Pro Bowl selections and five Associated Press All-Pro honors, including two first-team selections. Johnson helped Philadelphia reach three Super Bowls and win two. He also blocked for two NFL rushing champions, LeSean McCoy and Saquon Barkley a reminder that some of his finest work appears beside somebody else’s name in the record book.
His route there was anything but obvious. Johnson began his college career as a 202-pound quarterback at Kilgore College before transferring to Oklahoma and eventually becoming an offensive tackle. Philadelphia selected him fourth overall in 2013. The former passer became a cornerstone of the protection and running lanes that powered the franchise’s most successful era.
There had already been a deeply personal explanation for why the end was approaching. In August, Johnson said 2026 would probably be his final season and spoke about his oldest child turning 13. “It’s hard to get time back,” he said. That observation now gives his retirement letter particular weight: another season was available, but those years with his children would not wait.
Philadelphia must now replace a cornerstone player amid a 2-2 start to the season. Johnson leaves with memories of two championship parades down Broad Street and a farewell that puts his children, family and well-being at the heart of his next chapter. After years helping others understand the importance of seeking mental health support, he is now following his own advice, making his family his sole priority. Wishing him all the best!
