The Detroit Lions and Calvin Johnson haven’t been sharing many warm and fuzzy moments together since the All-Pro receiver retired in 2015. In fact, Johnson hasn’t been shy about bashing his former team in recent months, and he indicated not long ago that he might have tried to play for a contender if he weren’t locked up by Detroit contractually.
As a way to attempt repairing this fractured relationship, team president Rod Wood said he’s had some communication with Megatron via text message.
Lions President Rod Wood had recent contact with Calvin Johnson. On WJR-760: "We exchanged a few text messages. They were very cordial."
— Mike O'Hara (@MikeOHaraNFL) July 17, 2017
Furthermore, Wood has invited Johnson to Lions training camp, saying, “Hopefully he shows up. We want him in the tent, not outside the tent.”
Johnson was one of the NFL’s best players at any position during his nine-year career in Detroit. A career that saw him set franchise marks for receiving yards (11,619), receiving touchdowns (83), receiving yards in a single game (329) and most receiving yards in a season (1,964), among others.
He’s likely a sure-fire Hall of Fame candidate when his five-year waiting period is up. The Lions would do well to amend their mistakes handling his exit. This invitation to training camp could be a first step in what turns into a healing process for Johnson, who certainly has reason to feel upset about how he’s been treated by the team that drafted him.