The Philadelphia Eagles entered the offseason with just one of their four cornerstone linemen under contract, but Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce have since signed new deals. The other member of this quartet, Lane Johnson, has now followed suit.
Philadelphia’s 11th-year right tackle agreed to a fourth contract with the team Friday morning. Johnson signed an extension that runs through 2026, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The former first-round pick was already under contract through 2025, making this a one-year bump, but Johnson will collect a chunk of guaranteed money and reduce his 2023 cap hit in the process.
Johnson’s new deal includes $30M guaranteed, Schefter adds, noting this is technically a one-year, $33.45M accord. It will reduce Johnson’s 2023 cap hit by more than $9M, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). The All-Pro blocker was set to carry a $24.2M 2023 cap number; that figure will drop to approximately $14.8M as a result of this transaction.
Graham, Cox and Kelce each agreed to new one-year contracts. Johnson is the only member of Philly’s core four signed beyond 2023, and his agreement will help the team afford the deals for his veteran teammates. The Eagles are a rare team with four players drafted 10-plus years ago still on the roster, and although this contract does not necessarily lock in Johnson through 2026—as that will be his age-36 season—it rewards a player who played at a high level through a significant injury to close last year.
Johnson, 32, is recovering from offseason adductor surgery. The Oklahoma alum played through a torn adductor in the playoffs, tabling surgery until after Super Bowl LVII. Although Johnson’s 2022 regular season wrapped after 15 games, he earned his second first-team All-Pro honor. The dominant right-sider has not given up a sack in two seasons.
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