Eagles will keep Lane Johnson on the roster until June 2, for cap purposes
NBC Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- The Eagles plan to keep right tackle Lane Johnson on the roster until June 2, 2027, despite his unexpected retirement, to avoid triggering a full salary-cap hit in 2027 from accelerated signing and option bonuses.
- Placing Johnson on the reserve/retired list would accelerate all past payments, causing a significant cap penalty in 2027, which the team wants to delay until 2028.
- The Eagles rejected moving Johnson to the non-football injury/illness list to avoid controversy from other teams and accepted a reduced 52-player roster limit for the remainder of the season.
- As a result of Johnson remaining on the roster, the Eagles cut backup quarterback Andy Dalton to trim the depth chart and maintain roster flexibility.
- Johnson is expected to repay some portion of his $21.7 million option bonus, likely the unpaid December 2026 portion, reflecting the fact that he retired before completing the full season tied to that advance payment.
