10/06/2026
I was there the night Philadelphia was introduced to Lane Johnson. This picture - from the day after the Eagles selected him 4th overall in the 1st round of the 2013 NFL Draft. What I knew that night - he was insightful, respectful, had a great smile, and a bright future. What I could NOT have known? That heād go on to be here for 14 seasons, a solid, steady, stalwart presence protecting whomever was at his side. Be it, Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Matt Barkley, Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford, Carson Wentz, Gardner Minshew, or Jalen Hurts. Seeing that list tells you something right? When there are few constants in football, there was always Lane.
That night, neither of us could ever have predicted heād become a 6-time Pro Bowler, a 2-time All-Pro, start 186 games, and most shocking of all - win 2 Super Bowl rings and help lead 2 parades down Broad Street. After all, at the time he was drafted, even ONE Super Bowl was just a dream, for ALL of us. We ALSO could never have imagined that Lane would accomplish ALL of this, in spite of the awful anxiety and mental health issues he battled away from the bright lights. To show up each week for him while suffering inside, must have been exhausting and terrifying. To then make those battles public 5 years ago took tremendous courage. And to look deep inside and make the difficult decision to put himself and his family and his mental health FIRST and walk away from the game when he was still on top of his game, in the middle of a promising season, had to take tremendous STRENGTH.
Since the day we met I have admired Laneās professionalism with the media, his poise and candor during interviews, and his willingness to always talk to us even when he surely didnāt feel like it. Today⦠I admire his bravery in taking this step. Itās gut-wrenching to leave a career that you love, under any circumstances. As much as this is a gut-punch to the Eagles team from both a personnel and a leadership perspective, itās hopefully a weight lifted for Lane and his family, and the start of a hopefully beautiful, stress free, and healthy next half of his story.
Thank you Lane Johnson for 14 years of showing the city what it means to be a warrior and teaching us all to prioritize what really matters. Youāve likely saved so many lives. May retirement be everything youāve dreamed it would be.