Jason Kelce reacted to the sudden retirement of Philadelphia Eagles legend Lane Johnson, who announced his surprising plans on Tuesday, October 6.
“Lane Johnson is a special player, but more importantly a special person!” Kelce, 38, shared via X on Tuesday. “I love him like a brother!”
Kelce and Johnson, 36, were a force on the Eagles’ offensive line together for 11 seasons — from Johnson’s rookie year in 2013 to 2023, when Kelce announced his retirement after 13 seasons with Philadelphia.
“For the past decade, Lane has been the best Right tackle in the NFL,” Kelce continued. “His athleticism, technique, strength, and size, combined to make him a player few could get around. His pass set and movements looked more like an art than someone who punched people for a living.”
He added, “It was a pure joy to watch him play for all these years, but even more so, it was a pure joy to be his friend. Lane could make me laugh, cry, and smile all in a matter of hours. In the meeting room cracking jokes, in his car listening to country music lyrics, at the cafeteria talking about life, I cherish the memories, they give me so much joy.”
“Congratulations on retirement, I loved [every] second of watching you play, and am proud that I got to share the field with you,” Kelce’s post concluded.
Jason also addressed Johnson’s retirement on the Wednesday, October 7, episode of his “New Heights” podcast, which he cohosts with his brother, Travis Kelce.
“I don’t want to comment on anything because I just haven’t talked to Lane,” Jason said. “I want to let him and his statement be what is the announcement.”
Jason added, “I’m not going to pretend to know exactly what’s going on or why the retirement is happening now.”
Johnson released a statement announcing his retirement via social media on Tuesday.
“I have given it my all for 14 years, season after season pushing my body to the max and tirelessly working my craft to not only live up to the legacy of the guys that came before me, but to set a new standard of success for the best franchise in all of sports,” he shared. “I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season. But after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized that my personal and family priorities in my life have changed.”
Johnson added, “Right now, it is critical that I focus on my mental health. I owe it to my teammates, coaches, the organization and the fans to have my head and heart 100 percent in the game. And right now my heart is telling me that it’s time to say goodbye to football.”
The Eagles icon married his wife, Kelsey Holmer, in April. He shares three children — sons Jace, 13, and McCoy, 7, and daughter Journey, 10 — with his ex-wife, Chelsea Goodman. Johnson and Goodman were married from 2013 to 2022.
Johnson played in the first three Eagles games of the season, but missed the team’s game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, October 4, due to “personal reasons.”
