It sounds like Calvin Johnson expects his rift with the Lions to end, perhaps in the near future.
The Hall of Famer reiterated Tuesday that his relationship with his former team is moving in a positive direction, pointing to Lions Chief Operating Office Mike Disner as the reason why.
"We’re having some good conversations," Johnson told the Jim Rome Show. "Mike Disner over there with the Lions, he’s back in town, and I feel like he’s going to put in an effort to try to bring the two of us together, get us back on the same page. I’m excited about that, I’m excited about him actually reaching out and putting the effort forward to try to make that happen. That’s the difference that I have not seen in the past that’s happening now."
Johnson has been at odds with the only team he ever played for, other than to be inducted into the Pride of the Lions during a halftime ceremony in 2021 in which he received his Hall of Fame ring, from the moment they made him pay back $1.6 million in bonus money after his early retirement in 2016.
When the Lions proposed a repayment plan two years ago whereby Johnson would make a series of public appearances on behalf of the team over the course of several years, Johnson it called "a joke."
"They need to figure out a way to do it and not have me work for it, because I already did the work for it," he said at the time.
But NFL rules prevent the Lions from repaying Johnson's bonus without incurring a salary cap hit if he's not officially employed by the team. That's where it sounds like Disner is stepping in; he was Detroit's cap specialist and one of its lead negotiators in player contracts before being promoted to COO last year.
And Johnson, 37, is talking like he expects to be reunited with the Lions soon. He's been especially eager to rejoin the team in a pseudo-coaching role since Dan Campbell, his former teammate, was hired as head coach.
"I’m excited about it, one, because I’ll be able to get back around football and help out the team," he said. "Not that they need my help, but I feel like I have a lot of experience to share with the guys, whether it’s football or off the field, so definitely could be of value to the organization.
"And I’m excited just to be around the team again, be around football and allow my kids to go over there and see some of the things that I was able to do while I was in Detroit."
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