Eagles to Keep Retired Johnson on Roster After Jurgens Trade — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Lane Johnson will remain on the Eagles' 53-man roster through the season rather than the reserve/retired list, a plan sources say preserves cap flexibility until after June 1 and keeps a window open should he reconsider retiring.
- Carrying Johnson until June 2 defers any cap acceleration until 2028 — moving him to the retired list now would function like a release and 'sting' — while Johnson is expected to pay back a portion of his $21.7 million option bonus, with the exact figure still under negotiation involving the NFLPA and NFL management council.
- Cam Jurgens, a two-time Pro Bowl center, was dealt to Baltimore for a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder, with Philadelphia sending a 2027 seventh-rounder back to the Ravens.
- GM Howie Roseman is not in sell-off mode — sources say he is just as likely to trade the acquired 2028 second-rounder for a player who helps the 2025 Eagles as he is to bank it for the future.
- Philadelphia cut quarterback Andy Dalton on Friday in a roster crunch driven by injuries, illustrating the squeeze the sudden O-line shake-up has created.
- Rival GMs are wondering whether the Jurgens deal presages trades of stars like Saquon Barkley, but sources say the front office views its roster — proven QB, talented defense, established skill players — as built to win now.
- The Jurgens trade could trigger calls on guard Landon Dickerson once he's healthy enough to come off injured reserve, though the source notes Jurgens may have ended up playing guard in Philadelphia anyway.
Why it matters: Losing two of the most decorated offensive linemen from the past decade in one week would normally signal a teardown, but sources say Howie Roseman wants to contend in 2025 and may immediately reinvest the 2028 second-rounder in a win-now player — meaning the Eagles' short-term cap gymnastics around Johnson's contract are the hinge that determines whether Philadelphia stays aggressive or quietly pivots.
Ask SkimNews
