Lane Johnson always knew 2026 was going to be his last stand on the gridiron. After 13 years of giving everything to the game of football, the 14th year ultimately proved to be too much as he announced his retirement just four weeks into the season. But when that announcement landed on ESPN’s First Take, host Stephen A. Smith decided to put the veteran right tackle on blast for abandoning his team right when the Philadelphia Eagles are going through a tough stretch marked with injuries and lost stars.

“A running game that was virtually non-impressive at the very least to begin with. And now, Saquon Barkley got a hamstring injury. A passing game that wasn’t that great to begin with. You lost A.J. Brown. DeVonta Smith – now he gets injured,” Smith said on the show. “Nine starters you finished the game without. And now, the brother sat up there, one of the all-time greats as an offensive lineman, and what did he do? He went like this, ‘You know what? I’m going to call it quits.’ Now he calls it quits. Not offseason. Oh, no, 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?

“Did he say that? I’m just being short-term. So, the brother, 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.’ And as an offensive tackle, Lord, you know it’s bad. There’s no way. You’re undefeated. You’re winning football games. You’re thriving. Everybody’s got Super Bowl in their sights. 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. And this brother says, ‘Hey, my life matters. It’s time. I’m going to call it quits. My mental health.’ Lord, that’s trouble for the Philadelphia Eagles, and everybody in the City of Brotherly Love knows it.”

Now, in Johnson’s defense, this wasn’t something he decided on a whim. After he missed four training camp sessions citing personal reasons, he came back and announced 2026 was going to be his last season. While he played the first three games of the season, he missed Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams, citing personal reasons again.

The decision to hang up his cleats must have come from factors at home, as both his parents are dealing with health complications. Johnson had already wanted more time with his family, and his retirement announcement on social media doubled down on the same point.

“I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season,” Johnson wrote on his social media retirement post. “But after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized that my personal and family priorities in my life have changed. 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.”

While Stephen A. Smith believes the injuries on the Eagles’ roster may have prompted Lane Johnson to rethink his 2026 priorities, everyone isn’t thinking along those same lines. On First Take itself, NFL reporter Kimberley A. Martin pushed back against Smith’s comments, noting that he’s “making light of the situation.” Fans online have also pushed back against Smith’s take, defending Johnson’s decision.

Additionally, Johnson has been a vocal advocate of mental health for quite some time now, with fellow tackle Jordan Mailata noting that Johnson was “the focal point of our locker room for mental health.”

Now, his absence on the field will certainly be felt by Philly. With Johnson on the field, Philly’s win percentage has been 0.659, whereas without him, that number has dropped to 0.375. In his stead, Philly now turns to third-round rookie Markell Bell – who’s already started the Week 4 game against the Rams.

Meanwhile, for every point in Stephen A. Smith’s take, the Eagles’ chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie has already celebrated Lane Johnson’s impact on the team’s success, touting him as a future Hall of Famer. Beyond this, Laurie has also supported Johnson’s commitment to mental health.

“Beyond his on-field accomplishments, Lane has done a tremendous amount to give back to the community through his numerous charitable endeavors,” Lurie said in a statement. “The courage he has shown using his own personal experiences to advocate for mental health awareness has undoubtedly saved lives. We appreciate everything Lane has contributed to our organization, and we wish him and his family nothing but the best.”