Fading Star of Eagles Warned He Must ‘Go Harder’ to Silence Critics

Philadelphia, PA – June 19, 2025

He’s a two-time Super Bowl champion, a six-time Pro Bowler, and arguably the best right tackle of his generation. But now, at 35 years old, Lane Johnson isn’t just facing edge rushers—he’s up against time, doubters, and the creeping perception that his dominance may be fading.

Despite not allowing a single sack last season, Johnson was controversially left off the All-Pro first team, a snub that lit a new fire under the veteran. “It’s a very motivating piece to have,” Johnson said of the league’s new ‘Protector of the Year’ award. “I would be lying if I say I’m not trying to win it.”

But it’s not just about trophies. Johnson knows what’s being whispered. That he’s aging. That his prime is gone. That the Eagles’ once-iron wall might finally be rusting. And that’s where the message became blunt: if Lane wants to shut everyone up, he has to be even more ruthless in the trenches.

“If somebody has a bad opinion of you, hopefully you can get out there on the field and maybe change their narrative,” Johnson told reporters. “Do better stuff and be more violent. Something has to come out.”

The right tackle has fought through adversity before—suspensions, surgeries, mental health struggles—but this chapter may be his most demanding yet. With Philly’s offense counting on him to open lanes for Saquon Barkley and protect Jalen Hurts from the NFL’s fiercest pass rushers, Johnson’s role is as vital as ever.

Still, he remains defiant in the face of doubt. “Even though I’m 35, I feel like I’m better than what I was when I was 29 and 30,” he said. “As weird as it is to say, that’s really how I feel.”

The Eagles extended his contract through 2027, a rare move for a lineman his age. But they’re betting on more than past glory. They’re betting that Johnson has one more transformation left—one final evolution that turns skepticism into silence.

And if history is any indicator, that bet just might pay off.