Calvin Johnson, like Barry Sanders before him, retired during the prime of his career with the Detroit Lions, and he’s happy about his decision.
Speaking with reporters at a football camp Saturday morning, Johnson, formerly known by many in football circles as Megatron, made it clear he is not going to come back to the game.
“I’m not coming back,” Johnson said, laughing, via the Detroit Free Press, “you don’t have to worry about that.”
Johnson also revealed that he gets asked about whether or not he will come back everywhere he goes. He cannot travel anywhere without people asking him if he will return to football.
Even at his football camp, people ask him if he’s coming back, as they see him still able to perform at a high level during drills.
But it’s not happening. There will be no comeback bid.
When asked about whether or not health was the biggest factor, Johnson brushed it off.
“You going to be beat up,” he said. “It’s just a time where you are content with what you did, and I’m content with what I did, so far, so…”
He just had to finish with “so far,” didn’t he?
Johnson finished his career with stellar numbers and should be a shoo-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame (731 catches for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns).
Still, many will wonder how much more he might have been able to add on to his career totals if he had stayed until he wasn’t worth of the Megatron moniker. But it sure sounds like Johnson himself doesn’t have those same questions. He is quite content in retirement and looks extremely happy with his decision.