Calvin Johnson made well over $100 million during his nine seasons playing in the NFL, but the former Pro Bowler is a man of principle. And until the Detroit Lions pay him the remainder of his signing bonus, he doesn’t want anything to do with the team.
Johnson said earlier this month that he is only going to reconcile with the Lions if they “put that money back in my pocket.” The money he is referring to is the portion of his signing bonus from his 2012 contract that the team forced him to pay back after he retired. Johnson shared more of his thoughts on the situation in an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week.
While the exact amount that Johnson paid back has not been disclosed, it is believed to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 million. The contract he signed with the Lions in 2012 included a $16 million signing bonus, and that money is prorated over the course of the deal. When he retired before playing out the eight-year contract, the Lions forced Megatron to pay some money back.
Johnson will likely reconcile with the Lions eventually the same way Brett Favre did with the Green Bay Packers, but it doesn’t sound like he is going to back down. We highly doubt he needs the extra $1 million, so he clearly just feels the organization is in the wrong after all he accomplished on the field.
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