The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to terms with long-time right tackle Lane Johnson on a one-year extension that keeps him under contract through the 2027 season, the team announced Monday.
Johnson, who has played all 12 years of his career in Philadelphia, had been under contract through the 2026 season. The Eagles added $8 million to Johnson’s contract over the next two years, plus an additional $30 million in guarantees, according to his agent Ken Sarnoff.
Johnson has been a mainstay on Philadelphia’s offensive line, which is widely considered to be the best in the league and was a major component in the team’s run to last season’s Super Bowl title. Behind the powerful unit of Johnson, right guard Mekhi Becton (who signed with the Los Angeles Chargers last week), center Cam Jurgens, left guard Landon Dickerson and left tackle Jordan Mailata, the Eagles had the second-best rushing offense in the league. Running back Saquon Barkley ran for over 2,000 yards in the regular season — the ninth time (and first since 2020) that a running back went over 2,000 yards in league history.
Johnson, the No. 4 pick out of Oklahoma in the 2013 NFL Draft, has been selected to six Pro Bowls and is a five-time All-Pro — including a second-team selection in 2024.
Earlier in the day, the Eagles announced a deal with outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari on a one-year contract. That pact is worth $4 million, according to a league source.
The addition of Ojulari brings pass rushing depth to Philadelphia’s defense, which has taken some hits in free agency with the loss of edge rusher Josh Sweat to the Arizona Cardinals and defensive lineman Milton Williams to the New England Patriots. The team has also added edge rusher Joshua Uche.
A second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Georgia, Ojulari spent the first four years of his NFL career with the New York Giants. In four seasons, he has 22 career sacks with a career-best eight coming in his rookie season of 2021. In 11 games last season, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound pass rusher recorded six sacks.
What Johnson’s extension means
Before Super Bowl LIX, Johnson made it clear what he thought about his future. “I’m definitely not retiring after this game, win or lose,” Johnson said. Nor will he for at least another three seasons. Johnson’s one-year extension keeps him in Philadelphia through the 2027 season. The 34-year-old right tackle is still playing at his peak, having just earned his sixth Pro Bowl selection in the last eight seasons.
The Eagles were already entering 2025 ranked 12th in team spending on offensive linemen, according to Over the Cap. By extending Johnson, they have the majority of their starting lineup under contract through the next several seasons. Mailata and Dickerson both signed contract extensions last offseason that will keep them with the Eagles through 2028. Next up, logically, would be Jurgens, whose rookie contract is up after this season. He was named a Pro Bowler in his first year as a starter after replacing Jason Kelce at center.
The Eagles partly organized their offseason strategy around such extensions. They were aggressive in securing the players they deemed a high priority and accepted they’d lose out on players scheduled for free agency, such as Becton. — Brooks Kubena, Eagles beat writer
How Ojulari is a fit for Philadelphia
To balance the spending, younger players — and therefore more affordable players — will start having increased roles on the team. GM Howie Roseman said this would become more “the norm” for the Eagles going forward.
This is best epitomized in Philadelphia’s handling of its edge rushers. The Eagles signed both Uche and Ojulari to one-year deals to a room whose average age is now 25.4 and includes Nolan Smith, Bryce Huff and Jalyx Hunt. Ojulari had a promising four seasons with the New York Giants, for whom he collected 22 total sacks — with his five against the Eagles as the most verses any one team.
The organization’s approach in adding edge rushers is similar to its approach with the inside linebacker position last year. The Eagles signed young veterans Zack Baun and Devin White to one-year deals, and Baun’s unlikely rise to All-Pro status warranted him a three-year, $51 million extension. Such is the best-case scenario Ojulari and Uche are pursuing: find a fit with the Eagles, or, at the very least, with another team after having proven themselves. — Kubena
(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
