It seems Lane Johnson will be a Philadelphia Eagle for years to come. According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the talented young tackle and the team are putting the final touches on a contract extension that could be completed as early as Friday.
UPDATE #2, 11:05 a.m.: It's finished. The Eagles announced a new six-year deal for Johnson. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reports that it's got $35.5 million in guarantees and is worth up to $63 million.
UPDATE, 10:50 a.m.: Adam Caplan of ESPN reports that the deal, which carries a five-year term, is done.
Johnson has been the team's starting right tackle since he was selected with the fourth-overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma, beyond four games he missed at the start of the 2014 season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. A former quarterback, Johnson lacked polish but brought immense athleticism to the position. He's clearly progressed over his three seasons as a starter, though he did not take the leap many projected for him in 2015.
Johnson's currently set to enter the final year of his rookie deal, which would pay him about $6.1 million for next season. His future is expected to be at left tackle, where he would earn a far greater annual salary than on the right side. As such, his deal will likely contain escalators based on a future move.
That being said, new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told reporters earlier this week while taking in practices at the Senior Bowl that he expects Hall of Fame tackle Jason Peters to return and play well in coming seasons. Peters, though, is 34 and has seemingly become increasingly fragile over the past couple of years.
He also carries a $9.7 million cap hit for next season.
Still, Peters would likely benefit from a return to a more traditional offense wherein his declining athleticism - though still abundant - is not as readily noticeable.
Locking up Johnson would continue a trend for Philly that seemingly started the moment Chip Kelly was shown the door. Already, building block pieces for the Pederson era like tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek have been given extensions, with Johnson, Vinny Curry and Fletcher Cox expected to get their own deals in the not-too-distant future.
