Longtime Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson will return to the team for a 14th year in 2026 after being rumored to retire following Jeff Stoutland's departure
14:14 ET, 19 Feb 2026
Lane Johnson
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Lane Johnson will remain in Philly for another year(Image: Getty Images)
Two-time Super. Bowl winner and six-time Pro Bowl will be back for his age 35 season with the Philadelphia Eagles this fall, confirming the news to the Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday.
Johnson missed the final seven games of the 2025 regular season and was on the sidelines as the Eagles lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round. He was rumored to be finished playing after his longtime offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, stepped away from the team in early February.
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New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is expected to bring a "Shanahan" style rushing attack to the Eagles offense in 2026, upsetting Stoutland, who also served as the team's run-game coordinator.
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Stoutland's input heavily factored into Philadelphia's decision to draft Johnson fourth overall out of Oklahoma in the 2013 NFL Draft. "This is a special, special man," he said of Johnson in 2022
"You don't see people with the athletic ability that he has. He's really fast, really quick, great change of direction, really long. I don't know if you realize how long he is," Stoutland added.
"I remember when we worked him out (prior to the 2013 draft). I went down to Texas to his high school, and his high school coach set me up there. He was doing a 'V-stretch,' and he was sitting on the ground.
Jeff Stoutland
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Stoutland joined the Eagles in 2013(Image: Getty Images)
"I was standing about where you are (about 3 feet away), and he stuck his arms out, and he reached to the chair. And he got on the bag drills, and when you watch him do the bag, his feet are so fast. He's really like a skill player playing offensive line. And he's physical, really a unique guy."
The Eagles notably have a "stout" on-off split with Johnson — notably injury-prone — in and out of the lineup since drafting him. With him in? The team is 110-57-1. When out? 21-29. Last year, they were 8-2 with him and 3-5 without him.
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"Obviously, you're talking about a Hall of Fame player who's been a huge, huge part of any of the success that we've had, and when you watch him play, he's still playing at an elite level," Eagles longtime GM Howie Roseman said of Johnson in January.
Johnson's return has ripple effects across the roster: swing tackle Fred Johnson now has a decision to make in free agency. “If Lane retires, then I would most definitely think about staying,” he said at the end of the season, referring to an opporuntity for playing time
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“If Lane doesn’t retire, then I’ll have to look for a starting opportunity. That’s just the nature of the business. Lane is one of the best I’ve ever seen. I don’t ever want to be compared to him or anything. That’s his spot, that’s his right.”
Elsewhere along the line: Former Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson is coming off a superb season, and he's the subject of retirement rumors.
Johnson told the Inquirer that he will address Stoutland's exit at his next press conference.