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Detroit Lions and Calvin Johnson: Time to come back together

By James F. Puzzuoli

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 27: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 and wide receiver Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions prepare to take the field to face the Denver Broncos at Ford Field on September 27, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. The Broncos defeated the Lions 24-12. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 27: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 and wide receiver Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions prepare to take the field to face the Denver Broncos at Ford Field on September 27, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. The Broncos defeated the Lions 24-12. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – DECEMBER 13: Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions warms up prior to a game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on December 13, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – DECEMBER 13: Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions warms up prior to a game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on December 13, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images) /

WHEN DID CALVIN RETIRE?

This may have been reported before, but this was the first time that I understood that Calvin had told the Lions about leaving the game well before his official retirement on March 8, 2016.

The final game of the 2015 season was at the Chicago Bears on January 3, 2016. When Calvin told head coach Jim Caldwell about his retirement, it was sometime after that game.

What is interesting is that Caldwell called down to the higher-ups to come see Calvin. So, president Rod Wood and interim general manager Sheldon White spoke with Johnson as well.

Remember, general manager Bob Quinn was hired by the Detroit Lions on January 8, 2016. So, all of this happened within that 5-day window after the final game, not in March.

So, the Detroit Lions knew ahead of time. Not a big deal. The official retirement was in March, and surely the Lions tried to change Calvin’s mind in the interim.

But would this be a story about the Detroit Lions without some form of bungling the situation?

JUST ONE MORE

The Detroit Lions needed “just one more” moron-level move before they went ahead and hired Bob Quinn. The hope among fans is that the hiring of Quinn kicked off a new era for the Lions. One that was free of the previous era’s incompetence.

But there is always room for one last mistake in the zero hour. This is what Johnson had to say about his meeting with Wood:

"“But I knew there was going to be a problem once Rod talked to me and the first thing out of his mouth was like, ‘Did you earn all your bonus?’ I was like, ‘Oh, sh**.’ I knew right then it was going to be a problem,” Johnson told the Detroit Free Press. “I was like, ‘All right, I see how it’s going to be.’ ”"

‘Earn all your bonus?’ That is one of the most callous things someone could say to the all-time greatest wide receiver in Detroit Lions history. This is only Calvin’s side of the story, but there is a ring of truth to it. It just feels like something the Lions would do.

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