Make New York Post a Preferred Source Lane Johnson retired early from what he deemed was his farewell season with the Eagles on Tuesday.
The veteran offensive lineman gave mental health reasons for the stunning decision after 14 NFL seasons, which Stephen A. Smith found a way to brutally mock during “First Take” Wednesday morning.
“Now the brother sat up there — one of the all-time greats as an offensive lineman — and what did he do? … ‘Ya know what, I am going to call it quits.’ Now, he calls it quits,” Smith ranted. “Not before the season. Not in the offseason — oh no, no, no. After being subjected to this, he said, ‘Life is a little bit too short. I need to focus on’ — what did he say — his mental health. Am I making it up?
“Four games into the 2026 season, a dude that has been in the league forever sits back and says, ‘I need to focus on my mental health.’… There’s no way [if] you’re undefeated, you’re winning football games, you’re thriving, everybody’s got Super Bowl in their sights … You walk away because it’s a very, very bad situation and it doesn’t look to be getting any better and this brother said, ‘Hey, my life matters. It’s time. I am going to call it quits. My mental health. My mental.’ That’s trouble for the Philadelphia Eagles and everybody in the City of Brotherly Love knows it.”
Stephen A. Smith goes on a rant about Lane Johnson retiring on Tuesday, citing mental health. X @awfulannouncing The expected Hall of Famer has been a staple of the Eagles’ offensive line since 2013 when the team drafted him fourth overall out of Oklahoma.
Johnson, in his statement, reasoned his “personal and family priorities in my life have changed” and he deemed it was “critical” for him to focus on his mental health moving forward rather than not give his team 100 percent effort.
Smith later backpedaled on his take regarding Johnson, which turned into a big controversy in the sports world.
“Let me be very, very clear and specific about what I am saying. I would never make light of mental health issues, I am making light of the Philadelphia Eagles’ trashy situation,” he said. “This situation is so chaotic and so haphazard, it’s not worth it to to a lot of people… Regardless of how many times he’s contemplated retirement, he made a decision to come back this season. Usually NFL players, when they make a decision to come back, they are married to it for that year then they revisit it in the offseason.
“To be in Week 4, approaching Week 5 and you choose to walk away? That’s about the Eagles. That’s what I am talking about, not him and his mental health. I’m saying this is a situation the Eagles can drive you to because the stress ain’t worth it.”
FILE – Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) reacts on the sideline during an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in Detroit. AP Photo/Rick Osentoski Chris Long, a former NFL defensive end who won two Super Bowls — including one with the Eagles took to X to chime in on Smith’s monologue.
“Google ‘Stephen A Smith talks about mental health,'” he wrote.
“What a bulls–t take. Clearly has no idea why he retired or any backstory,” former Giants offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz posted.
During the offseason, Johnson missed four training camp sessions due to what the team deemed as personal reasons.
The 36-year-old also was inactive for personal reasons in the Eagles’ loss to the Rams on Sunday.
Throughout his career, Johnson earned six Pro Bowl nods and two Super Bowl rings with Philadelphia.
