Philadelphia Eagles star offensive lineman Lane Johnson is walking away from the NFL after a Hall of Fame-caliber career—and Stephen A. Smith’s reaction has sparked major backlash.
Johnson announced his retirement Tuesday, explaining that “my personal and family priorities in my life have changed.” He also said he wants to “focus on my mental health.” During Wednesday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, Smith weighed in on the decision and appeared to suggest that the Eagles’ struggles played a role.
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“Now he calls it quits. Not before the season. Not in the offseason. … 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? … 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,’” Smith said. “There’s no way (if) 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, very bad situation. And it doesn’t look to be getting any better. And this brother said, ‘Hey, my life matters, it’s time. I’m going to call it quits. My mental health. My mental.’ Lord, that’s trouble for the Philadelphia Eagles and everybody in the city of Brotherly Love knows it.”
Smith later clarified that he was not mocking Johnson’s mental health or minimizing his decision. Instead, he said he was criticizing the Eagles’ current situation.
“Let me be very, very clear and specific about what I’m saying, I would never make light of mental health issues. I’m making light of the Philadelphia Eagles’ trashy situation right now,” Smith said. “I am saying to you that the Philadelphia Eagles, their situation is so chaotic, so haphazard, it’s not worth it to a lot of people. This is a guy that hasn’t allowed a sack or a quarterback hit in the three games he’s played this year.
“Regardless of how many times he’s contemplated retirement, he made the decision to come back this season. Usually, NFL players, when they make a decision to come back, they marry to it for that year. Then in the offseason they’ll revisit it. But they marry to it that year. To be in Week 4, approaching Week 5, and you choose to walk away, that’s about the Eagles. That is what I am talking about. Not him and his mental health. I’m saying this is the situation that the Eagles can drive you to, because the stress ain’t worth it.”
The Eagles entered Week 5 with a 2-2 record and are set to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Meanwhile, The Athletic columnist Andrew Marchand criticized Smith’s remarks, writing that “Stephen A. Smith embarrasses himself” while discussing Johnson’s retirement.