Lane Johnson’s sudden retirement has brought an emotional reaction from across the NFL, but FOX Sports broadcaster Erin Andrews kept her message short after hearing Jason and Travis Kelce talk about the Philadelphia Eagles star.
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“❤️❤️❤️ Lane!! Football Royalty,” Andrews commented on an Instagram post shared by the New Heights podcast.
The three-word message came after Jason Kelce opened up about his former teammate during Wednesday’s episode of New Heights. Kelce and Johnson spent 11 seasons together on Philadelphia’s offensive line, from Johnson’s rookie season in 2013 until Kelce retired after the 2023 campaign.
“I love Lane. Lane is like a brother to me,” Jason said. “I’m not going to pretend to know exactly what’s going on or why the retirement is happening now, but we’re talking about a guy who’s an all-time Eagle, a Hall of Fame player, a dude who means the world to me.”
Kelce stopped short of discussing the details behind Johnson’s decision because he had not spoken with him yet. Still, it was clear how much the retirement meant to him.
“At the end of the day, he’ll look back and realize that he was one of the best tackles to ever play in the NFL, especially from a pass protection standpoint,” Jason added.
The connection between the two goes well beyond football. They were drafted two years apart, but their time in Philadelphia overlapped for more than a decade. Together, they became key pieces of an Eagles offensive line that helped the franchise win Super Bowl LII.
Travis Kelce also had plenty to say about Johnson. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end entered the NFL in the same 2013 draft class as Johnson and remembered meeting him at the Combine before watching his career unfold in Philadelphia.
“Everybody that’s ever been in that Eagles building has said nothing but amazing things about the guy,” Travis said. “The times that I’ve been able to be around him, it feels like he is a brother of, you know, an extension of the family, man.”
For Jason, the difficult part is knowing fans will no longer get to watch Johnson dominate from the right tackle spot.
“It’s going to be a bummer for me not being able to watch Lane do what he does and dominate the way he is,” Jason said. “He was still dominating.”
Johnson announced his retirement on Tuesday after 14 seasons, all with Philadelphia. He cited changing family priorities and his mental health, saying he had hoped to finish the 2026 season with his teammates before realizing it was time to step away.
The decision came after Johnson missed Philadelphia’s Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams for personal reasons. He had played in the Eagles’ first three games of the season.
Johnson leaves Philadelphia as a two-time Super Bowl champion, six-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. The Eagles selected him No. 4 overall in 2013, and he went on to become one of the defining players of the franchise’s modern era.
For Jason Kelce, though, Johnson’s legacy is more personal than any résumé can show. He has already called his former teammate a brother, and Andrews’ short message captured the same feeling from someone who has watched the Eagles star’s career from a different side of the NFL.