Please dont do it. We all enjoy your game. You still have alot in you but maybe try to go to another team. You still have alot in you at 30 MEGATRON!!!
Looks like he is done. He's a big dude, and his body is breaking down. The Lions aren't really getting much better, so its not like they are gonna win the Superbowl next year (although 15 months ago the Panthers had one of the worst records int he NFL). I feel bad for Stafford, golden arm, lousy organization.
First Sanders, now Johnson. Detroit Lions: Killer of HOF careers. Only Calvin knows how his body feels every morning, how much he has left in the tank. That said, I doubt we'd be having this conversation if the Lions were a perennial playoff contender.
It is his call. Rosenberg has an article about it today on SI. And the general thesis of it is "Calvin played football because he was good at it, not because he loved it." And from that perspective you can see how a guy could lose his passion at 30, and want to have working hands and knees when he is 50. He has made his money. If he doesn't have the drive, no harm in stepping away. I don't think this is a Sanders thing. If he just hated the Lions, he has the contract leverage to force his way out to another team. It sounds like he just doesn't want to play any more.
A Lions fan born and raised. I am sad to see him go because I think he has quite a bit left in the tank. However, he has been beaten and battered for a few years now. He basically hasn't participated in a practice for two years now because he's so banged up. He's made a good $30 million in his life and he can walk away with the majority of his health and enjoy whatever the rest of life may hold. I've heard through people that have met him he is very genuine guy and is smart about his money so he's not a guy I'd fear blowing $30 million. Further, he's on record publicly and more so in private that he loves the city of Detroit because they have accepted him as one of their own and doesn't want to play elsewhere. Not to mention there's no way the Lions trade him to another team without getting a 2nd or 3rd rounder at a minimum in return but I'm not sure someone will pay that for a 30 year old with the banged up body of a 33-34 year old. So he will ride off into the sunset having achieved a lot but not as much as he probably could have but he takes his health and a lot of cash! I wish him the best in his retirement and hope he will stay involved and supporting the Lions and Detroit because he was always a class act and a great player. As for the Lions, his retirement will take the 2016 cap space from about $21 million to $45 million so it will open a lot of doors for the new GM Quinn to make some moves to sure up the O-line, find a guy to stretch the field like Megatron did and then solidify the weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball.
A couple of my customers are from DET so I needled them today about running off another HOF player. The way that franchise has been run forever is a major turnoff to players because they never win. Calvin has about 3 good years left and I wish he'd stick it out. But with injuries and losing and the fact that he's banked over a hundred mil are good reasons to hang 'em up. I wonder if the NFL's stupid and asinine catch "rules" play a small part in him saying to hell with it? One thing one of my customers said was that Martha Ford had a meeting where she called in Caldwell and Stafford and told them she expected them to turn it around and Calvin was offended that he wasn't included. Sucks to see him go. Falls in line with Willis and Davis retiring from SF last year too. Big money in the bank? Tired of the beating? Retire
