Eagles OT Lane Johnson Facing 10-Game Suspension For PED Violation

Update:

Lane Johnson tells Jay Glazer of FOX Sports that he  took an amino acid that was approved, but still triggered positive for peptide. Johnson is fighting both the 10-game suspension and the company that sold the peptide.

For the time being, Johnson is waiting for a “B” sample to come back.

• If Johnson ends up being suspended, Field Yates points out that this would void the $35.5 million guaranteed money in his new five-year, $56.26 million extension he signed in January.
• Yates adds that it’s still possible Johnson could make the $35.5 million in guarantees over the course of the deal, but it just would no longer be guaranteed.
• Jason Fitzgerald puts the remaining guaranteed money included in Johnson’s deal at around $22 million or so.

Johnson’s agent, Ken Sarnoff, has released statement regarding the reports that his client is facing a 10-game suspension, via PhillyMag.com:

1. We are aware that a member of the media has started a rumor that Lane will be suspended for a PED violation.
2. Lane has not been suspended and any report to the contrary is false.
3. Nonetheless, we will not comment on my client’s protected health information.

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Eagles OT Lane Johnson said that “all was good,” and denied the reports of him facing a 10-game suspension for PED use, according to Jeff McLane.

• Les Bowen mentions that several people within the Eagles who would typically know about this kind of situation say they don’t.

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Howard Eskin and Ian Rapoport have both confirmed that Eagles OT Lane Johnson is, in fact, facing a 10-game suspension for his second  performance enhancing drug violation.

• Rapoport adds that Johnson is currently appealing the ban.

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Darren DeGaetano of WIP Philly is reporting that Eagles OT Lane Johnson will be suspended 10 games for another performance enhancing drug violation.

Assuming the report is accurate, this would be Johnson’s second offense, which explains why it would be a 10-game ban.

The Eagles locked up to a five-year extension worth $56.26 million that can max out at $60.01 million based on Pro Bowl escalators. Philadelphia is obviously paying him to eventually take over for Jason Peters at left tackle, but a second PED violation would be a major concern for the team.

Johnson, 26, is a former first-round pick of the Eagles back in 2013. He had one year remaining on his four-year, $19.853 million rookie contract when the Eagles elected to sign him to sizable contract extension in January.

In 2015, Johnson appeared in all 16 games for the Eagles and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 25 offensive tackle out of 76 qualifying players.

We’ll have more regarding a potential suspension for Johnson as the news is available.