Fresh off a one-year contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles that will keep him under contract until the 2027 season, Lane Johnson has the financial security he needs to keep playing football into his late 30s. Money won’t be why Johnson continues to keep playing the game he loves.
As Johnson enters his 13th season in the league (he will be 35 in May), the two-time Super Bowl champion has thought about when he might hang up his cleats for good. The contract ends after the 2027 season, when Johnson will be 37.
There’s a chance Johnson fulfills that deal.
“It’s very possible,” Johnson said about his contract. “I think when you get to this stage of your career, you take it year by year. Physically I feel really good. I was thinking a few years ago when I was coming back from all these surgeries, I thought my body was gonna start going downhill, but I think with how strength and conditioning program we have here, the stuff we do in the offseason, I feel really good.
“As long as I’m feeling good, I feel like I can contribute, and I think I’ll continue to play. It’s all I’ve really known. I love my football family. I’m an only child, so my brothers are here in the locker room.”
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Johnson’s game certainly hasn’t deteriorated as he enters his mid 30s. He allowed zero sacks in the regular season, along with one quarterback hit, six pressures and a 1.4% pressure rate. Johnson had a career low in pressure rate allowed per dropback and has allowed zero sacks in three of the past four seasons.
The contract extension Johnson signed this week grants him $8 million over the next two years, and an additional $30 million in guarantees. Johnson will make $48 million over the next two seasons — $40 million guaranteed.
Now the longest tenured Eagles player at 12 seasons, Johnson would match Brandon Graham’s record of 15 seasons played if he fulfills the contract. He’s also played 158 games in his career, and would pass Graham’s record of 206 if he plays 49 of a maximum 51 games over the next three seasons.
Still at the top of his game, Johnson has made an All-Pro team in each of the last four seasons. He’s been selected to six Pro Bowls, two first team All-Pro selections, and three second team All-Pro selections to go with two Super Bowl titles.
Simply put, Johnson is on his way to Canton. The next decision for Johnson is when he chooses to call it a career.
“I never wanted to go to another team.” Johnson said. “The Eagles have always been here for me, good or bad, and so they’ve been pivotal in my development as a player and as a person off the field. I couldn’t be more excited staying here.
“My goal is to play well throughout my middle to maybe upper 30s, which I’m looking forward to. I love the challenge of being an older player and the routine you have to keep up with…When you combine all these things, it’s why we’ve had success here the past 10 years and I think why they’re gonna have success long after I’m gone. It’s just the way they’ve done things here year after year.”
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