After 13 years, Lane Johnson has reached the point of his storied career where he’s going to weigh retirement after every season, still, this year he has a few more things to add to his list of reasons.
He spoke last year about feeling like he was still in his prime, but went on to miss the second half of the season with a Lisfranc injury that also kept him out of playoffs. Injuries have weighed on the lineman throughout his career, and having another that sidelined him longer than expected, could impact his desire to return. Plus, the number of changes throughout the Eagles organization continues to grow, and with news that Jeff Stoutland is resigning as OL coach — the only OL coach Johnson has ever played for in the NFL —, the All-Pro right tackle might more fervently consider walking away.
In a business that is ever-changing, the Eagles organization had it’s core group of players and coaches who withstood head coaching changes, roster moves, and trade rumors. They won the City’s first Super Bowl together, and were considered the pillars of the locker room. That warm and cozy familiarity started slowly chipping away — first with Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox, then with Brandon Graham (who then came back), and now with Stoutland. Johnson could be the last man standing, which is a lonely place to be.
Part of the reason Stoutland reportedly resigned was due to the new OC and schematic changes heading for the offense. Sean Mannion is going to bring different concepts that the OL coach didn’t utilize much, and Johnson might not want the challenge of learning a whole new scheme — or how to work with a new coach, or to come to work everyday and not see the man who was so much more than just his coach.
Johnson has given his all for this team and for the City of Philadelphia and deserves to end his career however he sees fit, even if that’s after a terribly underwhelming 2025 season and in the middle of a big schematic shift within the building. However, everyone knows how important the right tackle is to the Eagles offense, so they better be trying to do everything they can to bring him back.
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