Going into their Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Philadelphia Eagles hoped to get the star offensive lineman Lane Johnson back on the field.
At the time, Johnson was dealing with a foot injury, which had kept him sidelined since November 16. Since Johnson didn’t go on the Eagles’ injured reserve, there was an assumption he would be back at some point.
When the regular season concluded, Johnson still had just 10 games played for the year. Many were shocked to see the Eagles list the right tackle as inactive on game day against the 49ers.
That’s when the questions about the severity of Johnson’s injury came into play–as well as his status beyond the 2025 NFL season.
Eagles’ All-Pro Lane Johnson Gets Honest On Recent Big Decisions
On Tuesday, June 9, Johnson wrapped up day one of mandatory minicamp with the Eagles. He is preparing for his 14th NFL season.
When the star lineman addressed reporters for the first time this offseason, Johnson addressed the biggest questions of the year.
Johnson admitted to reporters that he believed there was a chance he could return, so the effort to do so was in place. However, he didn’t feel 100% until February or March, which was beyond the Eagles’ playoff game.
As for how he feels now, Johnson claims he’s “good,” but it took a while for him to reach this moment.
Was Retirement In The Cards?
Johnson is at the stage of his career where he’ll hear questions about his retirement every time the season concludes.
At this point, it’s clear he’s going to roll with the team in 2026. On Tuesday, Johnson explained why he returned.
“I wanted to come back and finish on a strong note,” he told reporters, according to The Athletic’s Zach Berman.
Despite dealing with what turned out to be a season-ending injury and losing the offensive line coach, who helped Johnson carve out a fantastic career, the former first-round pick isn’t ready to hang it up.
The Eagles are going through a lot of changes on the offensive end, and Johnson expressed his excitement in playing under the first-year offensive coordinator, Sean Mannion, who will run a system that’s admittedly favorable for the 36-year-old right tackle.