The Philadelphia Eagles got some major news after their Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, as Lane Johnson, who was a late inactive for the Eagles on Sunday, announced that he is retiring from the NFL after 14 seasons in the league.
It’s a shocking mid-season retirement from Johnson, though it’s not a massive surprise considering this was widely believed to be his last season in the NFL. Johnson, the 14-year Eagles veteran, is retiring. But why?
In Johnson’s announcement of his retirement decision, he explained a few reasons why he’s retiring now, including his family, mental health, and how his priorities have changed.
Lane Johnson reveals why he’s retiring from Eagles in middle of 2026 season
“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,” Johnson stated in his retirement announcement.
Johnson continued, “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 it’s time to say goodbye to football.”
The beloved, legendary, and potentially even future Hall of Fame offensive tackle is retiring from the NFL in the middle of the 2026 season to focus on his mental health and his family.
As he further elaborated, “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.”
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Johnson, who’s been a public mental health advocate among NFL players, is retiring from the NFL in part to focus on his mental health, but also to focus on his family.
After 14 seasons in the NFL, all with the Eagles since being selected No. 4 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft, Johnson is leaving the league as a two-time Super Bowl champion, a six-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro, and three-time second-team All-Pro.
The reason why he’s retiring in the middle of the 2026 NFL season? He’s focusing on his mental health and spending time with his family, and his heart is telling him it’s time to retire.
The 36-year-old right tackle is an Eagles legend and has been one of, if not the best offensive tackles during his NFL career. He’s an all-time great lineman and could be en route to the Hall of Fame a few years from now.
