August 08, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Lane Johnson #65 of the Philadelphia Eagles speaks in a press conference after a Philadelphia Eagles practice at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, Pa. on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
For the better part of the past 13 seasons, since being drafted by the Eagles fourth overall, Lane Johnson has protected his quarterback, mentored his teammates, and overcome some devastating injuries, and done them about as well as anyone at his position in that time.
But as he gets ready for his 14th season, his support is needed outside the locker room more than ever.
His mother, Johnson said Saturday after a steamy Eagles training camp practice, has been "struggling with some health stuff." His father needs him, too. His oldest child is about to become a teenager.
And it's become increasingly harder to be both an outstanding offensive lineman – one of the best of his era – and an outstanding son and father, and for the first time, the answer when asked to choose between the two isn't the same as it once was.
"As you get older, things change in your life," Johnson said, his first press conference since being excused to miss four consecutive camp practices for personal reasons. "Priorities – your children get older, parents get older. It puts things into perspective."
Which is why Johnson had no hesitation in making his strongest statement to date about 2026 being his final season.
Johnson, who has made six Pro Bowls, two All Pros, is the only offensive lineman on the planet to have played on both of the Eagles' Super Bowl-winning teams, and has made an extremely strong case for being enshrined in Canton, announced he's calling it a career at the end of this season, but left just enough wiggle room for a change of heart, but really hammering home his ultimate point that time is running out.
"It's looking like this is probably, potentially going to be probably my lat year," he said. "Because I am getting to that point where those priorities away from football are starting to merge. I'm looking forward to this year, playing the best I can, staying healthy and that's about it."
Johnson is still excited about the new offense and still feels like he's an elite tackle, even after missing the last seven games of 2025 and the team's first-round playoff lost because of a Lisfranc injury in his right foot that he unsuccessfully tried to come back from before shutting it down.
Saturday's practice, with extreme heat engulfing South Philly, was his first full practice in pads since his return from taking some time away from camp.
He wasn't reluctant to discuss his potential retirement and the give-take impact that his personal life has on his aging pro career, but he insisted that his mind is solely concentrated on football.
"It'll be a fun transition [to retirement], but as far as my focus here it's with the Eagles, it's with playing," he said. "I still feel like I can be a premier tackle in this league. My movement, everything feels good. I just need to stay healthy and keep stacking days."
"But yeah, I've had those conversations with family members," he added. "You can't play forever. Not everybody can do what LeBron James is doing. But I am 36. It is weird to say. But all the support, all the love here. I plan on having a really good last year."
Johnson is doubly motivated by the team's quest to radically improve its offense with an entirely new scheme implemented by first-year coordinator Sean Mannion, and by the offseason media rankings that, somehow, routinely rate Johnson lower than some of his peers who, with all due respect from Johnson, aren't linemen he views as on his level.
"With rankings and stuff, I take offense to some of it," he said. "I see a guys that gave up a lot of quarterback hits last year ... in the Pro Bowl, All Pros. I've seen a lot of All Pros in the past and usually they have a flawless performance in the pass game along with the run game. I don't know if standards are being lowered, or perception, of if analytics are getting in the way, but there's also film.
"Some of these guys ... I see a lot of people getting hit, quarterbacks getting hit in the pass game. As an older player, I don't want to bitch about the younger generation. Offensive line play is the best it's been in years. It's just stuff I've seen as I've gotten older."
Johnson will have one more season to showcase why he has been considered one of the greatest linemen of his day, and then possibly hand the baton to Markel Bell, a massive tackle the Eagles took in the third round. Bell, who Johnson had high praise for, took many first-team reps while Johnson was away and tending to his family.
Johnson said most of his teammates already know that he has his mind set on retiring after this season, and they understand his decision even as Johnson continues to be among the sport's best.
"They know where I stand," he said. "You get to this place in your career where you're this age, to have this many years, you got to start thinking about it sometime. But for me it's just a lot of push-pull. I love playing, I love everything this city is about, and my years here. But it's also feeling of responsibility and duty."
Landon Dickerson (69) and Lane Johnson (65) took on a ton of wear last season, but they're back to try and prove that they still have a lot of good football left.
Bill Streicher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
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