NFL Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions Rumors: Calvin Johnson Departure Possible, But Unlikely

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Calvin Johnson‘s 2014 season isn’t exactly going smoothly. The beastly WR has been battling a high ankle sprain for weeks, and his status for this Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings is in question. It’s likely that Megatron will be held out ofWeek 6, so in the meantime, people have started to speculate about his future.

Specifically, Mike Florio of PFT has questioned whether Johnson has a place with the Detroit Lions after this season. As crazy as it sounds, he may be onto something.

Florio points out that sometime down the road, Megatron is going to have to take a pay cut to stick with Lions. Why? Because his cap number is currently set to exceed $20 million in each of the next three seasons.

“While a restructuring that converts, for example, $10 million of his $12.5 million salary into a signing bonus could cut the cap number down to $12.558 million (in 2015), the maneuver would drive his 2016 cap number of $24 million up to $26 million.”

Long story short — the Lions will need him to take a reduction in pay. Especially if he continues to have problems staying healthy.

At the same time, it’s unfair to call Johnson injury-prone. He’s made at least 14 starts every year since 2008. Sure, he’s hobbled from time to time, but the guy is usually ready to go by game time on Sunday. This latest rough patch with the bad ankle is definitely not the norm for the All-Pro.

But would the Lions really be willing to part with him?

Obviously, he’s not going to get cut. But you can’t rule out the possibility of a trade. Detroit could get a lot of assets in return for the best WR in football and essentially sell off his stock while it’s still extremely high. But the key phrase there is ‘best WR in football.’ There’s no doubt that Megatron is No. 1, and it’s just hard to see the Lions being okay with him playing elsewhere.

When it’s all said and done, Johnson could be in the discussion for the GWROAT. Does Detroit really want give up a player of that caliber to save some money?

It’s unlikely that Megatron’s days in the Motor City are winding down, but as always, never say never in the world of sports. Stranger things have definitely happened.

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