March 18, 2025
The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Monday that they agreed to a one-year contract extension with star RT Lane Johnson. His contract had previously run through the 2026 season. It will now run through the 2027 season. Trust me, I did the math on that. My four takeaways on the new deal:
During the 2022 season, Johnson had eyed 2024 as his last season in the NFL.
Had the pleasure of listening to Lane Johnson speak about mental health at a small event yesterday. Afterward, he volunteered that he wants to play "maybe two more years" after this season.
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) November 6, 2022
That 👆 tweet was during the 2022 season.
More recently — after the Eagles' playoff loss to the Buccaneers following the 2023 season — Johnson said that he thought he had "a few good years left."
Lane Johnson: “I think I have a few good years left.”
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) January 16, 2024
The longer Johnson plays at an elite level, the more he seemingly wants to keep going.
Johnson is 34. He turns 35 in May. He just had one of the best seasons of his stellar career, and he said at the end of the season that his body felt good. We can probably trust him on that, as he has been forthright at other times during his career about nagging injuries, notably the ankle injury he suffered during the 2018 season that bothered him for years.
Jason Peters and Andrew Whitworth played into their 40's, and Trent Williams, who turns 37 in July, is still playing at a high level. Johnson is every bit the player and athletic freak of nature as any of those guys. Hell, I can confidently say with no hyperbole whatsoever that he's one of the best offensive tackles in NFL history. If he doesn't suffer any kind of serious injury, there's little reason to doubt that he can keep playing at a high level for three more seasons.
With Johnson's extension, the Eagles now have seven offensive starters under contract through at least the 2027 season.
| Eagles contracts | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 |
| QB Jalen Hurts | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| RB Saquon Barkley | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| WR A.J. Brown | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| WR DeVonta Smith | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| WR Jahan Dotson | ✅ | ||||
| TE Dallas Goedert | ✅ | ||||
| LT Jordan Mailata | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| LG Landon Dickerson | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| C Cam Jurgens | ✅ | ||||
| RG Tyler Steen? | ✅ | ✅ | |||
| RT Lane Johnson | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
It'll be eight whenever the Eagles get a contract extension done with Cam Jurgens this offseason.
If the Eagles are not completely sold on Tyler Steen, Kenyon Green, or any of the other in-house candidates to start at RG in 2025, could they use an early pick on an RGOTP / RTOTF ("RG of the present, RT of the future)? Sure, but I'm not sure that guy exists in this draft.
Are they going to use a premium pick on a tackle-only prospect to sit and wait behind Lane for two-three years? Nope.
Here are some more details of the deal:
Another Eagles’ payday: Five-time All-Pro OT Lane Johnson has reworked his contract to add $8 million dollars over the next two years, and an additional $30 million in guarantees, per his agent Ken Sarnoff from 1 of 1 Agency. The soon-to-be 35-year-old Johnson now will earn $48… pic.twitter.com/mIdsDshvGI
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2025
The Eagles gave Saquon Barkley a bump in pay earlier this offseason when they were under no duress to do so, and now they have done the same with Johnson.
In this case they guaranteed a nice chunk of Johnson's previously unguaranteed money, which is a risk, and one that has burned them in the past (see: Alshon Jeffery). But again, Johnson is an elite player. Jeffery was not.
The Eagles do a great job of making their most important players feel appreciated, while also getting current rates on future money. There's some downside, but overall it's good business.
MORE: Eight young Eagles players who should have elevated roles in 2025
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