Eagles standout right tackle Lane Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, ending a 14-year career spent entirely in Philadelphia. 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.
Rookie Markel Bell started in his absence. Johnson, 36, missed four practices during training camp for personal reasons. 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 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 Eagles were 122-63-1 when Johnson started compared to 18-30 when he was not in the lineup. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said, "There is no doubt in my mind that one day he will be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame."
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing