Back when Calvin Johnson retired after the 2015 campaign, the Detroit Lions required him to return a portion of his signing bonus, which didn't exactly sit well with Johnson and caused some bad blood.
Lions president Rod Wood said earlier this offseason that he hopes the franchise can repair its damaged relationship with Johnson, but Johnson says the only way fences can be mended is if Detroit gives him that money back.
Legendary Lions running back Barry Sanders is hoping for some peace between the two sides, but how the two parties reach that point is unknown to Sanders.
“Hey, that’s a tough check to write,” Sanders said, according to Carlos Monarrez and Greg Levinsky of The Detroit Free Press. “In the NFL you realize it’s a business and they have to handle things on their side of it the way that they do. So I don’t have any advice other than I think over time then you’ll probably see the two sides come together. You think they’d be able to reach some agreement. But I wish Calvin well. We’d love to have him back around, especially the fans, what have you.”
Johnson spent his entire nine-year NFL tenure with the Lions, and much like Sanders, he called it a career very early, retiring after a 2015 campaign in which he hauled in 88 receptions for 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
A second overall pick of the Lions back in 2007, Johnson went on to make six Pro Bowls with Detroit, also notching three First-Team All-Pro selections. He led the league in receiving yards twice, including the 2012 campaign in which he set an NFL record with 1,964 yards.
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