Around the league, rumors ran rampant that Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, known by many as “Megatron,” would be calling it a career during the off-season, but nothing was official. The Lions organization was hopeful that it could convince the former Georgia Tech standout to stay, but today’s news proves their efforts were futile. Calvin Johnson is retiring.
The 9-year pro was unbelievably dominant during his pro career. He currently holds several records, including the fastest to amass 10,000 receiving yards, and most receiving yards in a single season (2012). He’s best known for being a quiet storm of a leader for the Detroit Lions, which experienced turbulent highs and lows during his tenure. including their infamous 0-16 2008-2009 campaign. Still, with the strong-armed Matthew Stafford at the helm of the offense, Johnson thrived, and quickly entered the “best wide receiver in the NFL” conversation, highlighted by his 329-yard performance against the Dallas Cowboys in October of 2013 (the Lions won that game 31-30).
It’ll be tough for the Lions to compete in the contentious NFC North without Johnson, but their current wide receiver tandem of Golden Tate and Corey Fuller is certainly a good place to start where rebuilding is concerned.
