The Detroit Lions have reportedly begun pressuring Calvin Johnson to make up his mind about whether or not he will play in 2016.
With free agency set to begin on Wednesday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes that the Lions are “pushing to get an answer soon” from Johnson. To this point, the team has tried not to give Johnson any deadlines or ultimatums. However, you can understand why his decision would have a huge impact on how the Lions approach free agency.
Rand Getlin of NFL Network reports that the Lions expect a decision around noon on Tuesday.
Johnson carries a whopping salary cap hit of $24 million for 2016, and some have speculated that he could be dragging out his retirement decision to strong-arm the Lions into releasing him. It seems like a foregone conclusion that Detroit will want Johnson to restructure his contract if he sticks around.
One of Johnson’s former teammates recently ripped the Lions for not trying harder to convince Johnson to play next season. Could that be because they would rather the 30-year-old receiver call it a career and clear his salary off the team’s books? We should find out in the very near future.
