The NFL is not like the NBA, where you can decide to keep a player in the same uniform his whole career, even with a diminished role. That’s not the case, where in the NFL when your skills erode so too does your locker and usefulness as well.
According to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, Megatron may have run his course in Detroit. Add a lot of miles and injuries to a hefty contract, and Calvin Johnson is likely to switch uniforms next season.
In ESPN’s Six Points, Mortensen says that the Lions may part ways with Johnson as part of a restructuring of the roster, with Johnson more likely to move on than Matthew Stafford is.
As the Detroit Lions have dismantled their front office and part of their coaching staff, there is a natural inclination to wonder whether the purge will extend into 2016 with marquee players such as quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. After all, Stafford and Johnson will consume $46.5 million of the team’s salary cap in 2016.
Johnson seems more likely to be on the chopping block. He will be 31 next season and even though some of his injuries fall under the “nagging” category, they appear to have diminished the greatness that earned him the Megatron moniker. He’s human, after all.
Johnson, 31, will be due $15.95 million in base salary in 2016. It’s not a bad salary, but by dumping him, Johnson would count only $8 million on the Lions’ salary cap.
By Glenn Erby
