The relationship between the Lions and Calvin Johnson has been frosty ever since Johnson retired and the Lions required him to pay back part of his signing bonus -- something they were contractually permitted to do because he walked away before his contract was up, but something that many teams have chosen not to do when great players decide it’s time to hang up the cleats.
But that frosty relationship seems to be thawing.
Johnson said this morning, after learning yesterday that he’s been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, that he and Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp have been in regular contact and that he can see himself re-joining the Lions family.
“Myself and Sheila Ford Hamp have had great conversations,” Johnson said. “We’re moving in the right direction.”
An easy way for the Lions and Johnson to get on the same page would be for the Lions to pay him to be an ambassador for the team. Johnson could make back the money the Lions charged him by making appearances for the Lions, and Megatron and the Lions could both end up happy.