January 29, 2016
When the Eagles drafted Lane Johnson fourth overall in the 2013 NFL Draft, they were getting their "RTOTP, LTOTF," or "right tackle of the present, left tackle of the future."
That plan remains on track. Johnson has signed a six-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles that will keep under contract through the 2021 season. According to Jeff McLane of the Inquirer, Johnson got paid:
#Eagles and OL Lane Johnson agreed to 5-year extension worth up to $63M with $35.5M guaranteed, NFL source said.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) January 29, 2016
That is left tackle money.
Johnson started from Day 1 in the NFL in 2013 at right tackle, with the idea that he would eventually take over for Jason Peters at left tackle whenever Peters retired, or began to decline. Peters' play fell off in 2015, when he suffered a number of nagging injuries to his quad, back, and ankle. Johnson, who last week told PhillyVoice he wanted to spend his entire career with the Eagles, started two games at LT in 2015 in relief of Peters.
In Mobile, Alabama, at the week of Senior Bowl practices, head coach Doug Pederson emphatically said he wanted Peters to return in 2016, despite carrying a cap number of $9.3 million.
Peters is 34, and offensive tackles simply don't often play into their mid-30's anymore. If Pederson was indeed being forthcoming that Peters will be returning as an Eagle in 2016, that will likely be his last season in Philly at LT, as Johnson's extension could signal a changing of the guard tackle.
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