A Sudden End to a Storied Career
Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, closing a 14-season run with the franchise. The 36-year-old had considered stepping away in the offseason and was a surprise inactive for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams; the team learned that morning he would not play. Rookie Markel Bell started in his place and is the leading candidate to fill the position for the rest of the season as the 2-2 Eagles adjust to life without one of the best players in their history.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
In a statement posted to social media, Johnson said he had deeply wanted to push through one more year and take the field with his teammates for a final season, but that after much reflection his personal and family priorities had shifted. He explained that focusing on his mental health is now essential, and that he owed it to his teammates, coaches, the organization and the fans to have his head and heart fully in the game. His heart, he said, was telling him it was time to say goodbye to football.[S1]
Family and Mental Health Drove the Decision
Johnson missed four training-camp practices for personal reasons and said upon returning in August that the coming season would likely be his last, with family life pulling at him. Both of his parents were dealing with health issues, he noted, and his oldest child is 13. He described how getting older changes priorities, with children and parents aging and putting things in perspective, and said those priorities away from football were beginning to merge with his career. He added that he loved everything about the game and was preparing for it, but that this was where he stood.[S1]
Johnson has been one of the most prominent mental health advocates in sports. He has spoken openly about anxiety and depression dating to 2008, when he was a college freshman. In 2021 he missed three games while experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms after trying to taper off an antidepressant, and while dealing with the physical and mental toll of an ankle injury that kept him from meeting his own perfectionist standards. His candor after returning had a deep effect in the locker room, opening a pathway for players to discuss their personal struggles, as Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata put it at the time, calling Johnson the focal point of the locker room for mental health. The impact spread across the league as mental health became less stigmatized.[S1]
A Hall of Fame Resume and a Lasting Legacy
Selected fourth overall by the Eagles out of Oklahoma in 2013, Johnson built a career worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was named to the Pro Bowl six times and earned first-team All-Pro honors twice, helping Philadelphia win two Super Bowls, the only two in franchise history. His value showed in the standings: the Eagles were 122-63-1 when he started and 18-30 when he did not. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement that Johnson excelled under multiple coaching staffs and maintained an elite level throughout his career, and that his blend of talent, strength, athleticism and intelligence made him a unique player, with no doubt in Lurie's mind that Johnson will one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame.[S1]
Johnson described the locker room as his family, saying he never had siblings and that his teammates are his brothers. He said he can read body language and other cues to tell when people are not doing well, and that his approach is to talk with them, get personal, and share how he felt similarly, telling them he understands what they are going through.[S1]
