Legendary Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Brandon Graham announced his retirement earlier this week, making right tackle Lane Johnson the longest-tenured member of the Eagles.
Johnson signed a one-year extension with Philadelphia that will keep him under contract through the 2027 season, setting up to hold the distinction of the longest-tenured Eagles player for a few years to come. If Johnson plays through his contact he’ll have spent 15 seasons with the team.
Johnson spoke with NBC Sports Philadelphia about the possibility of him playing through his contract. He was asked if playing three more years was feasible and was very honest about the situation.
“Yeah, I mean it’s very possible,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I think when you get to this stage of your career, you take it year by year, but physically I feel really good.
“You know, a few years ago when I was coming back from all these (ankle) surgeries, I thought my body was going to start failing or going downhill. But I just think with the strength and conditioning program we have here and the stuff we do in the offseason, I feel really good.
“So, yeah, as long as I’m feeling good and I feel like I can contribute, I think I’ll continue to play. It’s all I’ve really known. I just love my football family. I’m an only child, so my brothers are here and have always been in the locker room, and that’s how I feel.”
Johnson spoke about his evolution over the course of his career.
“As a younger player, I think I had to get stronger to deal with some of these bull rushes, especially from Ryan Kerrigan, after that I just really focused on what I need to attack each offseason as far as becoming a better player,” he said. “So year after year, I feel like I’ve progressed, but for me it’s about being strong and then a lot of it’s about being flexible, being able to bend. A lot of players as they age, they lose that ability to explode and to burst.
“So when I look at athletes, you see what LeBron’s doing, I’ve seen what some Olympic athletes have done. You know there’s a guy out of Cuba, Mijaín López, that won his fifth gold medal at 41. So there are people that are able to go past the barriers or perceived barriers and I look to guys and athletes like that you know as inspiration and just to know that it’s possible.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Johnson can have a LeBron-like arc where he just seems to get better with age.
