Jordan Mailata Reacts to Lane Johnson's Surprise Retirement

Lane Johnson’s abrupt retirement from the Philadelphia Eagles sent shockwaves through the NFL, and through the Eagles locker room.

At least one Eagles player has admitted to being “shocked” by the decision.

Jordan Mailata Reacts To Lane Johnson’s Surprising Retirement

Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata, who played alongside Johnson on Philadelphia’s offensive line for the past seven seasons, expressed surprise at Johnson’s retirement, but refused to comment much on the matter.

“Still kinda shocked by it all. Yeah, still a hard one to swallow to be honest,” Mailata said during a radio appearance, via The Athletic’s Brooks Kubena.

“To be honest, I’m not gonna comment on Lane’s retirement. I don’t want to speak for him. Or speak on this. I think it’s just heavy. It’s heavy to deal with right now. I’m still processing my emotions — let alone, also, we try to remember all the times we had. A lot of memories to unpack when I think about Lane. I just think about how much I’m going to miss him going forward.”

The Eagles are going to miss Johnson too, both on and off the field. On the field, he was arguably the best right tackle in the entire NFL for the past decade, and replacing him will be the opposite of easy. Off the field, Johnson was a respected veteran and leader in the locker room. The void left by him will be felt immensely.

Jason Kelce Posts Message for Lane Johnson After Retirement

Johnson will now join his former teammate and offensive line mate Jason Kelce in retirement. After news of his retirement broke, Kelce took to social media to share a message for Johnson.

“Lane Johnson is a special player, but more importantly a special person! I love him like a brother!” Kelce wrote.

“. . . 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.”