Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions is retiring, and he is at peace with it.
But Calvin Johnson is leaving the NFL and the Detroit Lions on his own terms, just like Barry Sanders did over twenty years ago.
Johnson’s retirement from football was declared in a statement that the Lions made public today. In preparation for the start of the new league year on Wednesday at 4 p.m., he submitted his retirement papers to the NFL. His contract matters were settled to the satisfaction of the parties, the Lions declared.
The 30-year-old, who spent nine Hall of Fame-caliber seasons in Detroit, will always be remembered as the greatest wide receiver in team history.
Johnson added in a statement that was released, Let me tell you that this was not an easy or hurried decision. As I have said, my family and I have given this decision a great deal of thought and prayer, and I genuinely feel at peace with it.
Let me also say that I absolutely respect and admire the game of football. My family and I have benefited greatly from it, and I will always be appreciative of the game.Further News of Calvin Johnson’s retirement
With 1,214 receiving yards this season, Johnson led the Lions and placed 10th in the NFL, but a recent string of ailments began to wear him down.
Johnson had off-season surgery in January 2014 for his fingers and knees, and he has been sidelined with persistent ankle problems for the majority of the previous two seasons.
Late in the season and in the days following the 7–9 campaign’s conclusion, he revealed to both current and former colleagues that he was thinking about retiring. When news of those conversations surfaced in early January, he declared his decision in a statement issued by the Lions.
Johnson gives the Lions and new general manager Bob Quinn plenty of time to plan for his departure by making his choice public this soon.
With Johnson’s retirement, the Lions will have approximately $11.1 million in salary cap space, which they can use to sign a free agent to replace him or use a high choice to select a receiver in this year’s NFL draft.In the first round of the draft, the Lions selected 16th overall.
At the 2016 NFL Honors ceremony in California, Sanders remarked, That’s a great loss, a tremendous vacuum to fill. However, you must take the initiative to do that at the same time.
They will have to deal with that, and as we speak, I’m sure they’re trying to figure out how to do that. We all know it’s pretty much impossible to replace a guy like that, but I haven’t really even reached that stage in my thinking process.
The Detroit Lions must now replace Calvin Johnson, who is irreplaceable.Barry Sanders: Developing should Calvin Johnson decide to retire
if Sanders decided to leave the game a generation ago, Johnson’s retirement is similar to his in many aspects, even if it happened at a different time.
The day before training camp in 1999, Sanders—who was just 1,457 yards short of Walter Payton’s rushing record—faxed an announcement to his hometown newspaper, announcing his retirement from the NFL after ten seasons as a running back with the Lions. It was his 31st birthday.
A prolific receiver in the game, Johnson, who turns 31 in September, has 11,619 receiving yards and 83 touchdowns in his career.
Over his career, Sanders made five trips to the postseason and only lost one playoff game. Johnson has made two postseason trips without taking home a trophy.
My biggest regret is that I wasn’t able to help deliver our fans a championship, Johnson stated in his statement.
Nonetheless, I think the Lions have a bright future, and with the leadership of guys like Rod Wood and Bob Quinn—whom I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the past several months—I am sure that our supporters will soon be rewarded with the championship you so well deserve.
In the lead-up to Super Bowl 50, Brandon Marshall, a receiver for the New York Jets, praised Calvin. “He is following his intuition. It is disheartening because, as football enthusiasts, we want to see Calvin break all the previous records.
We won’t be able to see him as Megatron—he’s fantastic, amazing, and great—any longer. However, he’s been fortunate, and it’s a difficult sport. He should be proud of the incredible impression he will make on the game.
Johnson had a respectable, if unspectacular, rookie campaign to launch his NFL career. Despite having 48 catches for 756 yards in 2007, his enormous physique and otherworldly skills earned him the nickname Megatron.
When the Lions had their first-ever 0-16 season in 2008, Johnson enjoyed the first of seven seasons with 1,000 yards receiving. Johnson had one of the greatest three-year runs of any receiver in NFL history starting in 2011 after seeing a statistical regression in 2009 and placing second in the league with 12 touchdown catches the following season.
In 2012, he established an NFL record with 1,964 yards receiving, and in 2013, despite missing two games, he finished third in the league with 1,492 yards receiving. In 2013, he led the league with 1,681 yards receiving and grabbed a career-best 16 touchdowns to lead the Lions to the playoffs.
Johnson was mostly utilized as a possession receiver this season because he hasn’t been as dominant as he was the previous two seasons. However, he caught 10 passes for 137 yards during the Lions’ victory against the Chicago Bears in the season finale, and he made no indications at the time that he was thinking about retiring.
Having completed his career, Johnson now joins former 49ers colleagues Chris Borland and Anthony Davis, as well as draft classmate Patrick Willis, who have all retired early due to health issues in recent years.
In the 2007 draft, Willis was selected nine choices after Johnson and retired in March of last year at the age of thirty due to foot issues. Borland quit the game after just one season because of worries about possible brain damage. Davis also said he would play football again in 2015, but he missed the season to let his brain and body recuperate.
Johnson has not indicated that he would change his mind. As of right now, Golden Tate and TJ Jones will be the Lions’ top two receivers going into 2016. Johnson played nine NFL seasons, going 54-92 with the team, including playoffs.
Johnson, on the other hand, is headed to Canton and will be joining Charles Woodson and Peyton Manning in the 2021 Hall of Fame class as first-time eligible candidates.
NFL wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders referred to himself as the G.O.A.T. Among the best of all time. He made the fantastic decision to retire. Not everyone will play this game for very long. He has, in my opinion, demonstrated why he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
