Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle and franchise stalwart Lane Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, after the franchise found out on Sunday morning that he would be inactive for Philadelphia’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
“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 said [in a statement posted to social media](https://www.instagram.com/p/DeKlZ8UBFKf/?hl=en).
“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.”
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith questioned Johnson’s sudden retirement.
“Now he calls it quits, not before the season, not in the offseason. Oh no, no, no, no, no. After being subjected to (a struggling Eagles offense), he said life is a little bit too short,” Smith said on _First Take,_ chuckling.
> “Now he calls it quits, not before the season. Not in the offseason…four games into the 2026 season, a dude that has been in the league forever, sits back and says I need to focus on my mental health” – Stephen A. Smith on Lane Johnson retiring https://t.co/itUSL5LrVt
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> — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) [October 7, 2026](https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/2107839253749133335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
“I need to focus. What did he say? His mental health. Am I like—am I making it up? Did he say that? I’m just making sure. So the brother, four games into the 2026 season, a dude that has been in the league forever, sits back and says, I need to focus on my mental health. And as an offensive tackle, Lord, you know it’s bad.
“There’s no way you’re undefeated, you’re winning football games, you’re thriving, everybody’s got Super Bowl in their sights, you walk away. You walk away because it’s a very, very, very bad situation.”
Smith went on to say that he’d never make light of a mental health situation, but it’s tough to argue he wasn’t doing just that.