Lane Johnson, an all-time great right tackle, announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday. The Philadelphia Eagles had listed Johnson as inactive, citing personal reasons, for their Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday.

“I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season,” Johnson wrote, in part, in his lengthy statement posted to his social media channels. “But after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized that my personal and family priorities have changed. Right now it is critical that I focus on my mental health.”

On Wednesday morning, ESPN’s First Take dedicated time to the abrupt end to Johnson’s 14-season career by asking how much trouble the Eagles are in without him moving forward.

Stephen A. Smith gave a meandering, insensitive monologue that appeared to not only question the validity of Johnson’s mental health struggles, but to make everyone else at the desk uncomfortable.

“Now he calls it quits, not before the season. Not in the offseason…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” – Stephen A. Smith on Lane Johnson retiring https://t.co/itUSL5LrVt

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 7, 2026

“A running game that was virtually non-impressive, at the very least, to begin with, and now, Saquon Barkley’s got a hamstring injury,” Smith said. “A passing game that wasn’t that great to begin with. You lost A.J. Brown. DeVonta Smith, now he gets injured. Nine starters you finish the [Week 4] game without, and now, the brother sat up there — one of the all-time greats as an offensive line — and what did he do, Shae [Cornette]? What did he do, Jordan [Rodgers]?”

“He went like this, ‘You know what? I’m gonna call it quits,’” Smith continued. “Now, he calls it quits. Not before the season. Not in the offseason. Oh, no, no, no, no! After being subjected to this, he said, ‘Life is a little bit too short. I need to focus’ — what did he say? His mental health? Am I making it up?”

The camera panned over to Kimberley A. Martin, who remained silent but whose facial expression said it all. After badgering from Smith, Rodgers confirmed that Johnson did, in fact, cite his mental health. The vibes at the desk were palpably awkward, but Smith was undeterred.

“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,’” Smith said, bordering on outright laughing at Johnson. “As an offensive tackle, Lord, you know it’s bad. There’s no way [if] you’re undefeated, you’re winning football games, you’re thriving, everybody’s got Super Bowl in their sights, [that] you walk away. You walk away because it’s a very, very, very bad situation, and it doesn’t look to be getting any better.”

Smith pivoted into a full-on mocking tone to conclude by saying, “And this brother said, ‘Hey, my life matters. It’s time. I’m gonna call it quits. My mental health. My mental.’ Lord! That’s trouble for the Philadelphia Eagles, and everybody in the City of Brotherly Love knows it.”

Martin gently jumped in once Smith finally stopped talking, saying, “Agreed. Um, Lane had contemplated retirement for a while, right? So, I’m not surprised. I feel like you’re making light of the situation.”

“I’m making light?” Smith responded, shocked at that assessment, and Martin clarified, “Like, oh, playing with this team is what has sent him and said, ‘Oh, I can’t do this anymore.’”

Moments later, Smith realized he had stepped in it and walked back his commentary on Johnson’s mental health.

“Let me be very, very clear and specific about what I’m saying, I would never make light of mental health issues” – Stephen A. Smith https://t.co/S7V0dV8N60

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 7, 2026

“Let me get a bit serious for a second, because Kimberley brought up […] making light of the situation,” Smith said. “I appreciate the look-out. Thank you very much. Let me be very, very clear and specific about what I’m saying: I would never make light of mental health issues. I’m making light of the Philadelphia Eagles’ trashy situation right now.”

Smith continued:

“I am saying to you that the Philadelphia Eagles, their situation is so chaotic, so haphazard, it’s not worth it to a lot of people. This is a guy that hasn’t allowed a sack or a quarterback hit in the three games he’s played this year. When you talk about him, and what he brings to the table as a right tackle, he’s considered one of the elite — one of the top 3 — in the National Football League.

“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’re married to it for that year. […] To be in Week 4, approaching Week 5, and you choose to walk away, that’s about the Eagles. That is what I am talking about. Not him and his mental health.

“I’m saying this is the situation that the Eagles could drive you to, because the stress ain’t worth it. This is what people don’t understand about this.

“When you out there, and you’re putting your behind on the line on the football field — listen, you’ve got coaches, you’ve got people who ain’t getting hit, who can’t take the stress that comes with being in the National Football League.

[…]

“But when things are a mess, it can nosedive real quick, and it can sink your entire world. And I think the Eagles, how chaotic they have been, have the potential to do that to a human being. I’ma be clear. Did I stutter? Are we clear now?”

Ironic that Lane Johnson’s retirement would come days before the #Eagles were to return to London to play a game for the first time since 2018.

Here’s what happened before and after that game, as I reported in a 2021 story on Howie Roseman:
https://t.co/VJckxGpp0x https://t.co/f7xFwYLdm5

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) October 6, 2026

For years, Johnson has transparently discussed managing his mental health, with this feature by ESPN’s Tim McManus serving as a shining example. To Martin’s point, Johnson missed four training camp practices for personal reasons this summer. Upon returning, he opened up vulnerably about his headspace and his parents’ ailing health.

“As you get older, things change in your life — priorities, your children get older, your parents get older — and so, it just puts things into perspective,” Johnson said during his press conference at the Eagles’ training camp on Aug. 8. “Looking like, man, this is probably, potentially, gonna be probably my last year.”

Johnson also said he had considered retirement the year prior and that “it’s hard to get time back” as his children get older, but at that time, he reiterated his love for football and commitment to the Eagles.

On Wednesday, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer published an exclusive report on Johnson’s retirement decision, including the role of longtime Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland stepping down in February and Johnson’s persistent anxiety about playing over the past four years.