Eagles standout right tackle Lane Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday.
Johnson, who pondered retirement this offseason, was a surprise inactive for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. The team did not know until that morning that Johnson would not play.
“I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season. But after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized that my personal and family priorities have changed. Right now it is critical that I focus on my mental health,” he wrote in a statement posted to social media.
Johnson, 36, missed four practices during training camp for personal reasons. He announced upon his return in August that this would likely be his last season in the NFL, with the pull of family life weighing on him. Both of his parents were dealing with health issues, he said. He noted that his oldest child is 13 and “it’s hard to get time back, especially those years I feel like are very pivotal.”
Johnson has put together a Hall of Fame-worthy career since being selected fourth overall by the Eagles out of Oklahoma in 2013. He has been named to the Pro Bowl six times and received first-team All-Pro honors twice while helping the Eagles to a pair of Super Bowl championships — the only two in franchise history.
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