During Saturday's mock game for the Las Vegas Raiders, veteran safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. was carted off the field after suffering a lower-body injury. The injury was feared to be significant, and those fears came true on Sunday morning.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Johnson had suffered a broken fibula. While the defender will undergo an MRI to see if there’s any additional damage, his season could be over before it even started.
Despite the bad news, Johnson is staying motivated, as the defender took to social media to share some of his thoughts after sustaining the injury. First, Johnson shared a post expressing that he’s a soldier, so he’s going to navigate this process with his chin up and his chest out, while also leaning on his faith. Johnson then made a post saying that it’s still his plan to retire as a Raider.
🙏🏾 Still gonna retire a raider https://t.co/cEKH640ErJ
— Lonnie Johnson jr. (@Lonnie30johnson) August 3, 2025
Lonnie Johnson Jr. still wants to retire as a Raider after breaking fibula
Johnson has been in the league since 2019, when he was drafted in the second round by the Houston Texans. Throughout his six seasons, he has bounced around quite a bit. He went from the Texans to the Kansas City Chiefs, then made stops with both the Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints.
He ended up returning to the Texans before spending last season with the Carolina Panthers. Then, he ended up signing a one-year, $1.17 million deal with Las Vegas this offseason in free agency.
Throughout camp, the 29-year-old has been competing for a spot in the safety rotation. Penciled in as the second string behind Jeremy Chinn at strong safety, Johnson has been doing his part to be a contributor this season.
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Unfortunately, that journey now seems to be over for the time being, and he must turn his attention to rehab and the future. Johnson has made it clear that he would like to retire with the Raiders, but he only signed a one-year deal with the team.
However, once he’s healthy, Las Vegas could decide to welcome him back next offseason for a second go with the team if he is unable to return in 2025. Now, the Raiders must turn to other young backup players to fill the void.
Thomas Harper, Chris Smith II and Trey Taylor will all be competing for a role in the safety rotation now that Johnson's injury has presented an opportunity for them.