‘I love everything this city’s about and my years here’: The legacy of Lane Johnson

Lane Johnson took a week off from Eagles training camp to return to Oklahoma and spend time with his family. When he came back, he dropped a message that Eagles fans did not want to hear.

He expects 2026 to be his 14th and final season in the league.  

“I love playing, I love everything this city’s about and my years here,” Johnson said. “But there’s also a feeling of responsibility and duty. And so, yeah, it’s just that’s kind of where I’m at. There are things in life more than just being a football player.

“As you get older, things change in your life: priorities, your children get older, parents get older. And so, just puts things into perspective. So this is probably potentially gonna be my last year, just because I am getting to that point of those priorities away from football are starting to [increase].”

Johnson is not just one of the greatest Eagles ever but also one of the best teammates. He has helped so many quarterbacks and has kept QB1 safe for more than a decade, including Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, and Jalen Hurts. 

“Lane’s a special player. He’s had a very special career,” Hurts said. “And to get to know him and for him to immerse himself into my career and me developing ever since I walked into Philly, working out together, the times we spent together, I take pride in those things. 

“I want to make sure it’s a special year for him. I know it takes great courage to say this is the last dance, going into it. I hope he gets everything he desires out of this year.”

Being selected fourth overall in 2013, Johnson has been the starter since Day 1 of his career. He has never disappointed. 

All-Rookie Team in his first year, a six-time Pro Bowler, a two-time First-team All-Pro, a three-time Second-team All-Pro, and Super Bowl 52 and 59 champion. He is one of the most decorated linemen in NFL history and formed one of the greatest offensive lines in the league.

He, Jason Kelce, Jason Peters, and Brandon Brooks are to name a few, but don’t forget about Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Jordan Mialata, and even Mekhi Becton. 

Those have all been teammates he won Super Bowls with.

Even with all the coaching changes. From Chip Kelly to Doug Pederson, and now Nick Sirianni, Johnson remained the stabilizing force of it all. And the man who made that happen was Jeff Stoutland. 

“There’s only one Stout,” Johnson said. “What he meant to this organization and to that room, it’s hard to put into words.”

He created the infamous “Stoutland University,” which turned Johnson and other offensive linemen into some of the greatest in NFL history. A big factor in why Johnson became an All-Pro and champion can be credited to Stoutland. 

Still, his importance was necessary when he was on the field. Injuries have derailed him over the last few seasons, but when he is healthy, he is one of the best out there. 

The Eagles have gone 120-62-1 in games Johnson plays and 15-27 when he does not. It shows that his legacy remains on the field, but off the field, everything changes. 

His sustained pass-blocking protection always made him a force on the offensive line. Across 6,774 career pass-blocking snaps and counting, Johnson has allowed just 33 sacks, averaging one sack per 205 pass plays, according to Pro Football Focus. To put it in perspective, he allowed 33% of those sacks (11) in his rookie year alone. 

Most offensive lineman decline when they hit their 30s. Johnson didn’t. He’s still one of the top offensive linemen in the league when he is at his best, and he became a lineman that could shape an opponent’s entire game plan. 

In 2021, Johnson publicly discussed his battles with anxiety and depression, was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder back in 2008, and has used his platform to advocate for mental health awareness.

“I was living in hell for a long time,” Johnson said back in an interview with FOX in 2021. 

Instead of letting it get to him, he showed that accountability includes asking for help, taking care of oneself, and being honest when the pressure on yourself is too much to handle.

“Find your closest friend, family member, tell a loved one,” he said. “There’s always help around the corner. It’s not far. It’s never out of reach. And whenever you do this, you realize that you have a lot more in common with everybody else around you than you think.”

Johnson will leave Philadelphia with a resume that is worthy of him earning a place in Canton, Ohio, and it’s not all over yet. Still, he has one final season to add to it. If the Eagles make another run, Johnson will have the chance to close his career the same way he spent it: protecting the quarterback, setting the standard, and giving Philadelphia everything he has left.

“You can’t play forever,” Johnson said. “Not everybody can do what LeBron James is doing.

“And, yeah, man, I plan on having a really good last year. Yeah, I just, lots of pressure kind of, you know, just family life. It’s really, it’s merging. And I have a really good time in off season and parents work, that’s what they do. But putting that thing, putting stuff into perspective, collectively with my family, it’s looking like that.”

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