Lions Reveal More Progress With Calvin Johnson Relationship

Calvin Johnson

Getty Calvin Johnson during a Lions game vs. the Chargers.

The Detroit Lions will be set to welcome a brand new Hall of Famer in Calvin Johnson this year, and the relationship remains in the repair stage given what went on between the sides.

Back in February when it was revealed Johnson had cracked Canton, Ohio, the wideout admitted that he was on speaking terms with the Lions and sides were working on a resolution. Now, Rod Wood has confirmed things are still moving in that positive direction.

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Speaking with the media this past week, Wood explained that the Lions and Johnson are still getting things patched up and the team is working on some celebrations with Johnson in the months ahead.

Johnson will join the Hall of Fame later on this summer, and it’s clear the Lions are going to be involved with him by then so that they can properly celebrate the achievement. It’s nice to know the team is still committed to getting things right with Johnson long-term.


Johnson, Lions Working on Repairing Relationship

For the last handful of seasons, Johnson has been embroiled in a feud with the Lions over the amount of money the team made him pay back upon his retirement, Johnson has avoided much contact with the team in the time since, but the Lions want to bring him back in the fold. Contrary to what team president Rod Wood has maintained, Johnson claims the Lions haven’t reached out to him lately. It always seemed like it would be wise for Sheila Ford Hamp to mend those fences before Johnson gets inducted in Canton, Ohio.

According to Johnson himself a few months back, there’s been communication between he and the team’s brass, leading to the notion that the relationship could be set to get patched up and on the way to being repaired soon.

Johnson’s latest update is great timing for the Lions, considering the team welcomes a new first-ballot Hall of Famer into the mix soon. In the past, Johnson has maintained the best way toward fixing the relationship would have to do with money, so that could be how Johnson and the Lions move past these troubles when all is said and done.


Johnson’s Statistics With Lions

Since he came into the league with the Lions in 2007, Johnson wasted little time putting up great plays and amazing statistics. In his career, Johnson put up 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns and more than that, was a human highlight reel unlike any other receiver on the list. Out of Georgia Tech, Johnson was labeled as one of the freakiest players in the draft and he lived up to that distinction in the NFL.

Johnson shattered Rice’s record of 1,848 receiving yards during the 2012 season and was a stable force for the team, often playing through pain and discomfort on the field. He walked away following the 2015 season, leaving a gaping hole in Detroit’s wideout group. Since, Johnson has been embroiled in a feud with the Lions for the last few seasons over money that the team made him pay back upon retirement.

Now, it’s good to know that the icy nature of that feud seems to be subsiding more than a bit for Johnson and the Lions.

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