Longtime Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, saying it's "critical" for him to focus on his mental health.
"I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season," Johnson said in a statement. 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."
He continued: "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."
The 36-year-old was in the midst of his 14th season with the Eagles. He missed Sunday's loss against the Los Angeles Rams for personal reasons. Johnson played his final game Sept. 28 versus the Chicago Bears.
Johnson also missed practices during training camp for personal reasons. He said in August that the 2026 campaign would "probably" be his last.
He played 171 games with Philadelphia. Johnson is a two-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowler, and he was a first-team All-Pro twice.
Johnson said he'll never forget the Eagles' two Super Bowl wins and described celebrating with the city of Philadelphia as "the ultimate privilege."
"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 I will forever be an Eagle. Thank you for the love and the enduring support."
