All now appears to be well between Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions.
The Hall of Fame receiver will be inducted into the team’s Pride of the Lions display at Ford Field that honors the greatest players in franchise history. The ceremony will take place during halftime of Detroit’s Week 4 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 30.
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Johnson was surprised with the announcement during his annual golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club on Monday. Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner gave him the good news.
Johnson played nine seasons for the Lions, who drafted him No. 2 overall in the 2007 NFL Draft out of Georgia Tech. He compiled 731 catches for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns, all three of which are franchise records.
Following the announcement, Johnson appeared on FanDuel TV’s “Up and Adams” with Kay Adams and received a video message from CBS’ Nate Burleson, his teammate from 2010-13.
During his career, Johnson twice led the NFL in receiving yards, setting the record for most receiving yards in a single season with 1,964 in 2012. He also led the league in receptions that season with 122 and tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns in 2008. Johnson was named First-Team All-Pro three times and is a six-time Pro Bowler.
In 2021. Johnson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Adding Johnson to the 20 players honored in Pride of the Lions is perhaps the grandest gesture yet to demonstrate that the relationship between him and the team has been repaired after years of estrangement following Johnson’s retirement in 2016. Tensions became ugly when the Lions attempted to recoup $1.6 million of Johnson’s signing bonus when he retired before his contract expired.
However, hard feelings have softened in recent years as management, led by team owner Sheila Ford Hamp, made efforts to reconcile with one of the franchise’s all-time greats. Johnson appeared at Ford Field during last season’s playoff win versus the Los Angeles Rams (and former quarterback Matthew Stafford), indicating that grudges had been settled.
“We are thrilled to add Calvin Johnson Jr. to the Pride of the Lions,” said Lions president and CEO Rod Wood in an official statement. “His commitment on the field and to the city of Detroit are legendary and this is a well-deserved honor. We are proud that he will be forever memorialized inside Ford Field and as a Detroit Lion.”
