Eagles RT Lane Johnson confirms suspicion about his NFL future after missing Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams
The Philadelphia Eagles lost arguably their best offensive lineman this week, and the warning signs were there long before Sunday, starting with an absence in training camp and ending with an emotional plea from a fellow franchise legend.
Well, it’s official. After speculation and rumors, Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson has retired from the NFL. Johnson did not play Sunday, and he later took to social media to announce his retirement and thank the Eagles organization.
So the immediate question becomes: how did we get here so fast, and where does Philadelphia go from here?
Lane Johnson’s legacy with the Eagles
The six-time Pro Bowler had an awesome career in Philadelphia. He won Super Bowls with the Eagles, and he was arguably the best right tackle in the NFL during his tenure.
The truth is, Johnson’s impact goes well beyond what he did on the football field. He is one of those franchise icons in Philadelphia, the type of player fans will talk about for decades. He anchored the right side of one of the league’s best offensive lines for a long time, and he did it at an elite level.
That is what makes the way this ended so jarring.
Lane Johnson career accolades
- 2x Super Bowl champion
- 2x First-team All-Pro
- 6x Pro Bowler
The signs were there
In reality, there were some signs this was coming. For one, Johnson missed time during training camp for personal reasons. On top of that, his absence Sunday seemed to come out of nowhere. Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata said the team showed up to the stadium and suddenly there was no Lane Johnson.
But the clearest hint came from someone who knows Johnson as well as anybody. Fellow Eagles legend Brandon Graham spoke about the situation Sunday, and his words were shared in a post from Eagles Muse.
“I’d hate for Lane Johnson to go out like this. I know it’s your last year, man, but let’s go out with a bang. I know more than what I can really say right now, but it’s just like, come on, man, we need you,” Graham said.
Looking back, Graham was telling us a lot without telling us everything. He knew more than he could say, and the emotion in that message makes it clear this was not a decision anyone in that building took lightly.
Whatever was going on behind the scenes, Johnson was not able to work through it. To be fair to Johnson, that is his business, and after everything he gave the organization, he has earned the right to walk away on his own terms.
What Johnson’s retirement means for Philadelphia
The Eagles are now without arguably their best offensive lineman. Mailata is certainly in that conversation, but losing a player of Johnson’s caliber in the middle of the season is a gut punch for any team.
The bigger problem is the timing. Philadelphia’s offensive line just hasn’t looked the same through four weeks. A unit that has long been the backbone of this team has looked shaky through the first month of the season, and now it loses its most accomplished player.
There is no question that the Eagles have taken a major blow here. Replacing a six-time Pro Bowler at right tackle is not something you do overnight, and Philadelphia will need to find answers quickly if it wants to get this offensive line back to its usual standard.
The way I see it, Johnson’s retirement closes the book on one of the great careers in Eagles history. It also opens up a massive question mark on an offensive line that was already searching for its identity, and that is a problem Philadelphia now has to solve without one of its legends.
