Source: Eagles make Johnson highest-paid tackle
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles and right tackle Lane Johnson have agreed to a four-year contract extension that runs through 2025, the team announced Friday.
The new deal is worth $72 million and includes over $54 million in guarantees, a league source tells ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, making Johnson the highest-paid tackle in football.
Johnson, 29, has stated his case for being the best right tackle in the NFL over recent years. The No. 4 pick out of Oklahoma in 2013 has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons and was named first-team All Pro in 2017 when the Eagles captured their first Super Bowl title.
Johnson commented on his deal via a tweet from the Eagles.
Let’s fly, @LaneJohnson65! #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/tytUHHUrCm
His value comes into focus when he is out of the lineup. He played just 24 snaps against the New England Patriots in Week 11 after suffering a concussion and missed last week against the Seattle Seahawks — both Eagles losses. Johnson has since been cleared from the concussion protocol and is expected to play Sunday at the Miami Dolphins.
Similarly, Philadelphia went 2-8 during the games Johnson missed in 2016 as a result of a positive test for performance-enhancing substances, compared with 5-1 when he was in the lineup that season.
The Eagles have been active on the contract extension front. They gave Johnson’s good friend and offensive linemate, right guard Brandon Brooks, a four-year, $56 million extension earlier this month and have since signed kicker Jake Elliott and long-snapper Rick Lovato to new deals. The team has also been working toward a new deal with tight end Zach Ertz but contract talks have stalled, a source told Fowler.