Longtime Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson announced he's retiring from the NFL after 14 years on Tuesday in a statement posted to social media. Johnson spent all 14 of his NFL seasons in Philadelphia, earning six Pro Bowl bids and winning two Super Bowls during his tenure with the team. The 36-year-old cited his mental health as the main reason for his decision to retire.
"I have given it my all for 14 years; season after season pushing my body to the max and tirelessly working my craft to not only live up to the legacy of the guys that came before me, but to set a new standard of success for the best franchise in all of sports," Johnson wrote. "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 in my life have changed.
Right now, it is critical that I focus on my mental health. I owe it to my teammates, coaches, the organization and the fans to have my head and heart 100 percent in the game. And right now my heart is telling me that it's time to say goodbye to football." As Johnson said, he wanted to play one final year with the Eagles before retiring, but other things in his life have taken priority.
"Right now, what's most important to me is continuing to focus on my mental health and spending more time with my kids and family," Johnson wrote. "But Philadelphia will always be home, and will forever be an Eagle. Thank you for the love and the enduring support." Johnson's decision comes two days after he sat out of Sunday's game versus the Los Angeles Rams for personal reasons.
Those reasons have now come to light. Fred Johnson sits behind the veteran on the depth chart, but he was listed as questionable on Tuesday and missed Sunday's game. Rookie Markel Bell out of Miami stepped up and earned his first NFL start on Sunday, and will likely continue in the starting OT position until Johnson is better.
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