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Calvin Johnson

Calvin Johnson Considering Retirement

January 6th, 2016 at 8:05pm CST by Luke Adams

8:05pm: Calvin Johnson is serious about considering retirement, and he’s mentioned his thoughts to Lions teammates over the last few weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Meanwhile, a source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that Johnson told his mother that he isn’t sure he wants to play any more. Johnson cleaned out his Lions locker at the end of the season, unlike other veteran players on the team. “Calvin is the kind of guy who says, “If I don’t feel I’m into this 100%, then I need to decide if want to be in at all,” a source close to Megatron told Werder (link).

1:30pm: Most discussion and speculation involving Calvin Johnson in recent weeks has centered around the question of whether the Lions will consider cutting the veteran receiver or asking him to take a pay cut this offseason. However, it sounds like there’s no guarantee Johnson will even continue his playing career in 2016.Calvin Johnson

“Like many players at this stage of their career, I am currently evaluating options for my future,” Johnson said in a statement, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter links). “I would expect to have a decision regarding this matter in the not-too-distant future.”

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press confirms that Johnson has mentioned the subject of retirement to at least one former teammate, and writes that several people who know the 30-year-old believe that scenario is not out of the question.

While it would be a shock if Megatron walked away from the NFL this year, all the wear and tear he has endured over his career has made him consider the possibility, according to Birkett, who notes that the Lions wideout has been plagued by ankle and finger issues in recent years.

Since leading the NFL with 122 receptions and 1,964 yards in 2012, Johnson has seen his production decline a little. Still, he continued to be one of the league’s more productive pass catchers in 2015, with 88 catches, 1,214 yards, and nine touchdowns.

Johnson remains under contract with the Lions for four more seasons, but his deal doesn’t include any more guaranteed money, and his cap hit is set to increase to $24MM+ in 2016. The Lions could nearly cut that figure in half by releasing the former second overall pick, or could create nearly $16MM (the amount of his 2016 salary) in cap savings by cutting him with a post-June 1 designation. So if Megatron does decide to keep playing, he and the Lions may have to agree to a reworked contract, assuming he wants to remain in Detroit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: OBJ, Brees, Hawthorne, Megatron

December 24th, 2015 at 6:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL has found no evidence that Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was on the receiving end of homophobic slurs and insults from Panthers players prior to last Sunday’s game, a league source tells Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

Reports earlier this week suggested Panthers players directed homophobic slurs at Beckham, but punter Brad Wing – who described Marcus Ball‘s pre-game actions – said that he didn’t hear any slurs, and they weren’t brought up during Beckham’s appeal hearing. As such, no Carolina players will be disciplined, assuming no new information surfaces.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Despite battling what he describes as a “Grade 2” tear of the plantar fascia tendon in his right heel, Saints quarterback Drew Brees is adamant that he’ll play this weekend, per Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Asked why he’s so intent on not sitting with the Saints out of playoff contention, Brees replied, “One reason only: I want to play for my guys. Bottom line.”
  • Saints linebacker David Hawthorne has been inactive for the team’s last three games, and may be nearing the end of his time in New Orleans, Woodbery writes in a separate Times-Picayune article. Hawthorne, who has spent his last four years with the Saints, took a pay cut back in March, but given his decreased role, that may not be enough to save his roster spot this time around.
  • Speaking of pay cuts, it’s possible that Calvin Johnson will have to take one to remain with the Lions. Kyle Meinke of MLive.com examines that possibility, including Megatron’s comments – or lack thereof – on the situation

North Notes: Gordon, Mallett, Megatron

December 17th, 2015 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Browns wideout Josh Gordon will be eligible to apply for reinstatement from his suspension in February, and if Gordon gets the go-ahead from the NFL to return to action, head coach Mike Pettine would welcome him back with open arms, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Absolutely we would,” Pettine said. “He’s a Cleveland Brown.”

Of course, given the way the Browns have played this season, it’s fair to be skeptical that Pettine will even be around to make that decision in February — it’s possible Cleveland will have hired a new head coach by then.

As we wait to see what the future holds for Pettine and Gordon, let’s check in on a few more items from around the NFL’s North divisions….

  • The two-year deal Ryan Mallett signed with the Ravens is basically a $1.6MM pact, says Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). Of course, most of that money will be due next season, and the quarterback’s 2016 salary (about $1.5MM) is non-guaranteed. If Mallett does make the team, he can earn an extra $500K for playing just 1% of Baltimore’s regular snaps, and $1MM if he plays 10% of the snaps, maxing out the year at $2.5MM, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.
  • “Lovely” isn’t a word that makes its way into NFL interviews too often, but that was the adjective Calvin Johnson used today to describe the possibility of finishing his career with the Lions, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com details.
  • Willie Young‘s transition from defensive end to outside linebacker hasn’t always been smooth, but it has gone better than expected, and it looks like Young could have a future with the Bears, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

Lions Interim GM On Outlook, Stafford, Johnson

November 14th, 2015 at 9:04am CST by Ben Levine

Lions interim general manager Sheldon White made his first public comments yesterday since the team let go of former GM Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand. The executive was at the podium to discuss the team’s acquisition of defensive lineman C.J. Wilson, but he predictably ended up answering questions regarding his job and the organization.

We’ve compiled some of the notable quotes below, all via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press and Chris Wesseling of NFL.com…

On his main priority as general manager:

“We have to win. Will I be a candidate (for the GM job full-time)? I can give you the best way to be a candidate is to win games. Obviously, if we don’t, then I won’t be a candidate. But if we win these games and we find ways to get better and improve our roster, maybe I will be.”

On his “interim tag,” and how he’s envisioning the future:

“I love the clarity that Mrs. Ford told me. She told me she’s hiring me as the interim general manager, but the reality of it is, this isn’t a Supreme Court justice appointment. The only person with a lifetime appointment in this building is our owner, and so the way I look at everybody, we’re all interim general managers, we’re interim coaches, we’re interim players. Eventually, it’ll be over, and we’ll be telling stories.”

On acquiring players for the rest of the season:

“There’s somebody out there, and we’ll see them. And it may be our team or some other team, but there’s some player out there that can help us win, help a team win, and they’re going to before the end of the year. It’s our job to grind it and find those guys. Are they on the street? Are they on practice squads? Are they in our building already and we just need to give them an opportunity to play?”

On the future of two of his team’s biggest stars: Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford:

“Those guys are awesome. They’re awesome. The things that I have to do on my end, in my opinion those guys are ultra-talented. I have to continue to surround them and continue to build our roster and you’ll see all the talents that those guys have. And they are unbelievable.”

NFC North Notes: Wallace, Lions, Megatron

November 13th, 2015 at 6:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Mike Wallace knows that his hefty contract could make this a one-and-done season with the Vikings, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Wallace is making $9.9MM this year and due to earn $11.5MM in 2016, but next year’s salary is not guaranteed. Meanwhile, Minnesota is pretty stacked at wide receiver, a stable that includes rookie Stefon Diggs.

“I’m not stupid. I’m a pretty smart guy. I understand everything,” Wallace said. “When you go to look at that, that’s a lot of money to leave out there that you want to get, but you have to make plays to get those numbers up. We’ll see.”

So far, Wallace has just 27 receptions for 296 yards. At that pace, his 54 catches would be fewest since his rookie year, and 592 yards would be a career-low. Diggs, meanwhile, has 28 catches for 461 yards despite being inactive for the first three of Minnesota’s eight games.

Here’s more from the NFC North:

  • Lions interim GM Sheldon White was non-committal when asked about the futures of Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Stafford, 27, has struggled for most of the season and the Lions can get out from his deal this offseason with just an $11MM cap hit. Johnson, 30, is one of the most talented receivers in the game, but at his age he’s likely not worth the ~$16MM salary he’s due to make next year, a rate that comes with a whopping $24MM cap hit.
  • Contrary to published reports, two people familiar with the situation told Larry Lage of The Associated Press that the Lions have not hired a firm to assist them with their search for new executives.
  • In a separate piece, Birkett wonders if ex-Lions GM Martin Mayhew could get another chance to be a GM elsewhere. For what it’s worth, former Lions senior personnel executive Shack Harris feels that Mayhew should get another shot.
  • Per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Packers tried out several defensive players today, including cornerbacks Donald Celiscar and Joel Ross, linebacker Derrick Mathews, and defensive end B.J. McBryde.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

West Notes: Megatron, Cardinals, Seahawks

November 12th, 2015 at 9:26pm CST by Zachary Links

If Calvin Johnson and the Lions were to part ways, Megatron’s best landing spot would be with the Raiders, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports opines. Johnson, 31 in September, may not have more than three or four top-shelf seasons left in him and that’s a luxury that a rebuilding team like Detroit might not be able to afford.

If the Lions were to cut Johnson, they’d immediately open $11MM in cap room for 2016, and $21MM in 2017, when his dead money would be completely off the books. Meanwhile, a team landing him via trade would only be on the hook for Johnson’s base salaries, which total $32.45MM over the next two seasons.

So, why Megatron to Oakland? Robinson points out that Michael Crabtree is set to hit the open market and Johnson, who offers up far more talent and bigger matchup problems for opposing defenses, would be an excellent replacement. The Raiders could also have $75-$80MM in cap room next year, so they could afford Johnson’s substantial deal.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s West divisions:

  • Several key Cardinals players are on the verge of free agency and general manager Steve Keim has been trying to extend some of them. Still, the GM continues to indicate that nothing is on the verge of getting done at this time, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes.
  • The Seahawks recently added a $25K signing bonus to defensive back DeShawn Shead‘s contract, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. There are no other alterations to the deal, so it doesn’t appear that Shead gave up anything to get that additional cash.
  • The 49ers worked out cornerback Chykie Brown as well as defensive backs Buddy Jackson, and Brandon McGee, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle.
  • The Cardinals worked out cornerback Jordan Mabin, Wilson tweets.
  • The Chiefs worked out offensive tackle Caylin Hauptmann, defensive end B.J. McBryde, and wide receiver Larry Pinkard, Wilson tweets.

NFC Notes: JPP, Bradford, 49ers, Megatron

November 4th, 2015 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Jason Pierre-Paul is practicing for the Giants, and while the team had initially been eyeing a Week 10 showdown with the undefeated Patriots as a target date for JPP’s return to the field, it sounds like he could play in Week 9 against the Buccaneers (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News).

As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter), Pierre-Paul’s one-year deal with the Giants was set up to be based on seven weeks’ worth of playing-time incentives and per-game roster bonuses. However, if JPP makes his season debut this weekend, he would have eight weeks to try to earn those bonuses and incentives.

As we wait to see if Pierre-Paul is activated for the Giants’ next game, let’s round up some more odds and ends from across the NFC….

  • If the Eagles offered Sam Bradford a four-year contract extension at some point, it sounds like that’s news to him, as the veteran quarterback told reporters today (Twitter link via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “That offer must have gotten lost in the mail,” Bradford said.
  • Colin Kaepernick likely hasn’t started his last game for the 49ers, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who says that the team hopes to get the quarterback back on the field in the second half, believing he has too much talent to simply give up on him. While the Niners may feel that way today, continued ineffectiveness from Kaepernick down the stretch could result in him being traded or even released in the offseason.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, writing for The Sporting News, sounds more skeptical that Kaepernick will see much playing time during the remainder of the 2015 season, and suggests the 49ers will likely find a way to move on from their quarterback in the offseason.
  • Asked if he asked the Lions to consider moving him prior to the trade deadline, wide receiver Calvin Johnson replied that he hasn’t thought about anything like that, according to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. “No, I haven’t got to a point where I’ve said that,” Johnson said. “I’m just always trying to play ball. I love my teammates, so that hasn’t crossed my mind.”
  • Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane is on track to return to practice next Monday after spending the season’s first nine weeks on the physically unable to perform list, writes Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk. Lane’s return to practice would begin a three-week clock for the Seahawks to either move him to the active roster or shut him down for the year.

North Notes: Ratliff, Lions, Levy, Ravens

October 30th, 2015 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff is currently a free agent, free to sign with any NFL team, but as details continue to trickle out about last week’s incident at Halas Hall, it appears increasingly unlikely that another team will give him a shot this season.

Ratliff showed up last Wednesday in no condition to practice, prompting the Bears to send him home. After the team made the decision to cut him, Ratliff returned to the club’s practice facility, saying at one point that “he felt like killing everybody in the building,” according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune, citing a report from Lake Forest Police.

Ratliff left Halas Hall and returned again later, at which time he reportedly said, “I am the devil” and that he “wished staff member’s children would die.” Although no charges were filed against Ratliff, the Bears did call local police, with team officials alerting police of their belief that the 34-year-old owns multiple firearms, according to Campbell.

As the Bears attempt to move on from last week’s incident, let’s check in on some other items from out of the NFL’s North divisions….

  • The idea that the Lions may consider parting with quarterback Matthew Stafford after this season is “comical,” GM Martin Mayhew told reporters today, including Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Mayhew also dismissed the possibility of a Calvin Johnson trade: “Both of those guys are very important to what we’re doing as a franchise, great people off the field, great teammates. And both of those guys have Hall of Fame potential. So to say that we should move those guys doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
  • DeAndre Levy, recovering from hip surgery, may not see the field again this season after playing just 17 regular season snaps. However, Mayhew doesn’t regret locking up the Lions linebacker to a long-term extension prior to the season, as Birkett writes. “He’s not the first guy to sign an extension and get hurt. That happens sometimes,” Mayhew said. “You hate when it happens, but certainly through no fault of his own. It’s a serious injury that he’s dealing with.”
  • It was a busy day for Mayhew, who also said that he expects the Lions to be buyers, not sellers, at next week’s trade deadline.
  • The Ravens‘ front office and coaching staff have received no phone calls and just one text message from Terrell Suggs since the veteran pass rusher tore his Achilles a month and a half ago, writes Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun. GM Ozzie Newsome says he isn’t worried about the lack of communication with Suggs, who may be rehabbing on his own, adding that he expects the 33-year-old to return to the team next season.

Latest On Broncos, Demaryius Thomas

July 13th, 2015 at 8:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos and Demaryius Thomas‘ agent, Todd France, have recently exchanged proposals, multiple NFL sources tell Mike Klis of 9NEWS. However, there’s a pretty big gap for the two sides to bridge. Sources say that Thomas is looking for a deal that would exceed Calvin Johnson‘s mammoth contract. Denver, meanwhile, is offering “substantially more” than the contract of Minnesota’s Mike Wallace, who is currently the league’s second-highest paid receiver with a deal that averages $12MM a year, but less than the Johnson deal.

Johnson, of course, is the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL by a significant margin. The 29-year-old inked a $113MM+ deal with the Lions that is paying him upwards of $16MM per season with nearly $49MM guaranteed. The Broncos would argue that Johnson’s deal is an outlier because of the unique circumstances surrounding those negotiations – Johnson was set to earn a cap-crippling amount of money under the old wage scale and the Lions had to pay up in the long term order to prevent that from happening. However, Thomas’ camp is pushing to top that contract on the grounds that the salary cap has risen from $120.6MM to $143.3MM in the last few years.

Thomas’ stats over the last three years compare favorably to Megatron’s. The Broncos standout has hauled in 297 catches for 4,483 yards and 35 touchdowns while Johnson has 277 catches for 4,533 yards and 25 touchdowns. That disparity can partly be chalked up to Johnson’s injuries, however, as he has missed five games during that span. Thomas is also coming off a career year in which he racked up 111 catches and averaged more than 100 yards per game.

Latest On Cowboys/Broncos Collusion Allegations

July 13th, 2015 at 6:55pm CST by Zachary Links

6:55pm: The NFLPA letter to the Broncos and Cowboys doesn’t spell out specific transgressions but it does ask clubs to preserve certain documents and communications, Breer tweets.

6:04pm: Evidence of possible collusion between the Cowboys and Broncos stems from a conversation that took place between Dez Bryant and Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, a league source tells Mike Florio of PFT.

Jones explained to Bryant that the Calvin Johnson contract, which is the most lucrative deal for a wide receiver in the NFL, has no relevance to other receivers because of the unique circumstances surrounding those negotiations. Then, according to Bryant’s account (per the source), Jones told the receiver that he talked to Broncos GM John Elway about the situation. Because the Broncos also have a franchise-tagged receiver in Demaryius Thomas, the admission that Jones and Elway communicated about the situation constitutes evidence of collusion.

There could be significant penalties for the Cowboys and Broncos as the league’s collective bargaining agreement prohibits such contact. However, it could also be hard to find the smoking gun. Bryant could give testimony to support his claims, but if there is no tangible evidence of a conversation between Elway and Jones, the investigation might not get far.

July 15th is the deadline for franchised players to sign long-term extensions with their teams — if no agreement is reached by that date, a player who received the franchise tag will have to play on a one-year deal in 2015, if he intends to play at all. Given the relatively similar statistical production posted by Bryant and Thomas – as well as Bengals wideout A.J. Green and Falcons receiverJulio Jones, who are playing on fifth-year options this year – there’s been a sense that everyone is waiting for one team to extend its star receiver to establish the market.

The NFLPA letter containing the collusion claims against the Broncos and Cowboys went to the clubs today, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets.

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