Detroit Lions Proving They May Not Need Calvin Johnson
By Erik Lambert
Oct 19, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) and tight end Eric Ebron (85) celebrate the touchdown by wide receiver Corey Fuller (not pictured) during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field. Detroit won 24-23. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Money and injury have begun to raise serious questions about the future of Calvin Johnson with the Detroit Lions. Now a third reason may be developing.
Matthew Stafford winning more games without Megatron
Don’t mistake anything. Johnson remains the best wide receiver in the NFL. He’s 29-years old and has everybody else beat in stats by a considerable margin. The issue at hand rests on a variety of factors. The most pressing is money. Detroit is in the middle of a salary cap crunch that could threaten to break up their talented core. Johnson carries a cap hit of $13 million for 2014, but that number will balloon to $20 million in 2015. Then there is the matter of injuries. Over the past two seasons the seemingly invincible body of Johnson has endured some nagging ailments, most recently an ankle problem that has sidelined him for most of the season thus far. As he approaches 30, that is a problem the Lions can’t ignore.
However, another interesting key has emerged over the past few weeks. Matthew Stafford, while not nearly as prolific in terms of stats, has matured as a winner without Johnson on the field. With their latest comeback over Atlanta the Lions are 6-2 and in command of the NFC North. Not having Megatron has actually forced the young quarterback to adjust, using his entire offense rather than honing in on the dominant Johnson. It’s not pretty at times, but it’s successful.
Giving Johnson release would open door to keeping Ndamukong Suh
The other part of the equation that needs mentioning regards to the Detroit Lions possibly parting ways with Calvin Johnson is their defense. It has become one of the best in the league and the primary reason for that is the dominant presence of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Teams can’t block him and it’s allowing Detroit to dictate the temp in every ball game, which leads to wins. Keeping him is looking more and more like a top priority.
The problem is rumors persist that Suh may want to leave in 2015 for another team and the Lions may not be able to afford his price, which would be high. By releasing Johnson, the Lions would have upwards of $37 million in cap space next off-season. That would be enough to make a full court press offer to keep Suh on the roster.
Will that happen? Impossible to say but the logic of it all is hard to escape.