Getty Calvin Johnson speaks in 2021 in Canton, Ohio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Detroit Lions are trying hard to patch things up with their Hall of Fame legend Calvin Johnson, and it sounds as if they are having some decent success doing so in recent days.
Johnson, who recently admitted his relationship with the team was trending up, hadn’t elaborated much on why that was the case until he was giving an interview with Jim Rome. On the show, Rome asked him to discuss what’s changed about his relationship with the team lately.
As Johnson said, it was the fact that the Lions, led by team COO Mike Disner, have made the first move to reach out on their end. That was a big step for the wide receiver in trying to repair the damaged relationship.
“I’m excited just to be around the team again.”
@CalvinJohnsonJr on his improved relationship with the Lions.
“I think we’re having some good conversations. Mike Disner over there with the Lions, he’s back in town. I feel like he’s going to try and put in an effort to bring the two of us together and get us back on the same page. I’m excited about that. I’m excited about him actually reaching out and putting the effort forward to try and make that happen. That’s the difference that I have not seen in the past that I am seeing now,” Johnson explained of the relationship.
Specifically, Johnson has said from the beginning that he wants to reconnect with the Lions. Why? He believes he can offer the team some good information to help mold them on and off the field
“I’m excited about it, one, because I want to get back around football to help out the team. I feel like, not that they need my help, but I have a lot of experience to share with those guys whether it’s football or off the field. So definitely be a value to the organization and I’m excited to be around the team again, just be around football and allow my kids to go over there and see some of the things I was able to do while I was in Detroit,” Johnson explained to Rome on the show.
Disner largely works behind the scenes for the Lions, but as his profile on DetroitLions.com states, he oversees aspects of the football and business management.
“In his current role, Disner assumes responsibilities across both the football and business management, overseeing the team’s football operations and football administration, as well as leading the Lions’ strategy and revenue teams,” the description reads.
Clearly, Disner has been instrumental in bringing Johnson and the Lions back together. In order for the Hall of Fame wideout to make the desired connection with current players, this relationship has become vital for the player and the franchise.
Johnson Reveals Decision Behind Retirement
Why did Johnson choose to walk away after the 2015 season? Many folks thought it was because of the fact that the Lions were struggling as a franchise, but that wasn’t the whole story according to Johnson.
While he did admit to some frustration about how things were going, as Johnson admitted, it was a quality of life issue given how much his body had broken down by the time his career was wrapping up.
As he explained, it was a quality of life issue for the wide receiver, who knew he didn’t have much more left and listened to his body when it was telling him to stop playing the game.
“It was definitely a little bit of both, but at the end of the day, quality of life was everything for me. I know how my body was feeling. Shoot, I just sprained my ankle the other day playing basketball. It’s an old football injury that just came back up. I didn’t have much more on these ankles, on these knees and whatnot out there on the field. At the same time, the organization wasn’t exactly trending up either,” Johnson admitted to Rome.
Many folks around the league fantasized in the aftermath about Johnson returning to another NFL team or even the Lions, but it was long clear to him that his body was not going to allow that to happen.
As he confirmed once again to Rome, that was the biggest reason that Johnson remained retired and has stayed on the sidelines despite only being 37 years old.
Johnson’s Career Stats & Highlights
After coming 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. Here’s a reminder of his talent:
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 at least a handful of years over money that the team made him pay back upon retirement. The sides have been at odds about that since at least 2019 if not closer to 2017, when Johnson visited camp with the Las Vegas Raiders and the beef was first mentioned.
Johnson has a lot to offer his former team as a sounding board, so it’s a positive to see that the Lions are now finding a way to work him back to the organizational mix.
Comments
Calvin Johnson ‘Excited’ About New-Improving Relationship With Lions