With players like Aaron Rodgers holding on to their NFL careers, Lane Johnson retiring at 36 came as a shocker for all Eagles fans. But despite the shock, Rob Gronkowski is respecting his decision.
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“So it’s good to see Lane Johnson stepping up,” Rob Gronkowski said on Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams. “You know, taking protocol and doing what’s best for him because he deserves to do whatever he wants with his career because he has shown he’s got the respect of every single player in the NFL. Past players, present players, coaches, through just around the league.
“And if he wants to hang it up right now, if he knows that’s best for his health, well then, Lane Johnson. Kudos to you, man! Much respect, unbelievable career.”
In his retirement message, Johnson stressed that he had “given it my all for 14 years; season after season pushing my body to the max.” He declared that his priorities had changed, and he was going to focus on his family and mental health. Nobody had expected a player as crucial as him to leave the sport this early and midway through the season.
The decision sparked a debate. Stephen A. Smith mocked Johnson for retiring at this time, and it did not land well. Fans, who recognized the sheer amount of hard work done by Johnson, called Smith out vehemently. He was forced to issue an apology.
Throughout his career, Johnson allowed 295 pressures and 33 sacks over 6,886 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF. But he also had a 1,405-snap stretch without giving up a single sack. In 2026, he continued to protect the quarterback well, recording a 97.2% pass-block win rate and going 374 straight pass-blocking snaps without allowing a sack or quarterback hit before his retirement.
Lane Johnson was diagnosed with anxiety when he was at the University of Oklahoma, but his troubles began when he was attending junior college. In the 2021 season, Johnson missed three games. He said that “football wasn’t even a question at the time,” via ESPN.
Johnson was also taking antidepressant medication but eventually decided to stop taking it. However, coming off the medication caused serious withdrawal symptoms, including nausea and vomiting.
The Eagles initially said he was dealing with a personal matter. The team supported him during that time, with head coach Nick Sirianni wearing a No. 65 decal on his visor.
“The first game against Atlanta, I told my mom … ‘Something’s really, really wrong with me,” he told FOX’s Jay Glazer. “I don’t know exactly what it is.’ I said, ‘I’m miserable. I know my mind isn’t right. I know my body isn’t right.’ So I left [the Eagles]. I went back home. I didn’t have any communication with the Eagles.”
“I was living in hell for a long time,” he said upon his return. “Don’t bottle it up. And it’s easy to do that. It’s easy to avoid the situations that you don’t want to go through, some that’s going to be difficult. This is what I dealt with. It was terrible. I don’t wish it on nobody.”
Johnson has since encouraged mental health awareness in the team. It resonated with players who were also facing struggles of their own, like Jordan Mailata.
Lane Johnson had been playing at a very high level despite all these battles. After the 2021 season, Johnson made the Pro Bowl from 2022 to 2024.
“I just think about how much I’m going to miss him going forward,” Mailata told WIP-FM (94.1) after Johnson announced his retirement. He admitted he was still shocked. However, Johnson has clearly done more than enough to call it a career, and focus on his well-being.