Calvin Johnson did something on March 8th that brought back harsh memories for Lions fans of Barry Sanders. Megatron retired from football while still in the tail end of his prime and conceivably much more to give on the field.
Since then some believe that because Johnson still can play and at a high level he’ll make his return at some point to the NFL. Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones was one of those who believes Megatron will make his return, in fact he gave it a six month time frame.
Former Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson seems to be taking it a bit further when it comes to that Calvin Johnson return talk. Burleson, who played with Megatron for four seasons in Detroit believes the former All-Pro should take a year off then make his return… not with the Lions though but with the Patriots so he can ‘get a championship ring’.
“Congratulations on your retirement, man. Now, take this year off … then find a way to land with the Patriots and get a championship ring,” Burleson wrote recently for NFL.com. “You deserve it.”
I’m sure most Lions fans won’t like hearing something like this, especially from a guy like Burleson who was always pretty endearing to the City of Detroit. However Burleson highlights the harsh reality for great players in the NFL playing on bad teams that winning can prolong careers while losing shortens them. Sure professional football always seemed to be just a job for the likes of Barry or Calvin but you’d have to be kidding yourself to believe that both career’s wouldn’t have been prolonged if the Lions were actually in contention for a Super Bowl.
A simple return won’t be easy though, that is if Megatron wants to come back with a team like the Patriots.
Remember the Lions own Calvin’s rights in 2016 and 2017 meaning any kind of comeback would have to go through Detroit first. Then again Johnson’s cap hit in 2016 is almost $16 million dollars which would have to be absorbed by the Lions if he was to remain in Motown. This though could lead to the Lions releasing Megatron (which probably would have happened if he didn’t retire) and the eventual signing by a team like the Patriots.
My guess though… Calvin stays retired and lives a comfortable live counting all his money.
h/t: CBS Sports
