Former Lions WR Calvin Johnson Undoubtedly Hall of Fame Worthy

If you were to put together a top 10 list of NFL Wide receivers throughout league history, Calvin Johnson would surely be up there for most people. However, many skeptics have always believed that his “early” and abrupt retirement would hurt his Hall of Fame chances. Thankfully for Johnson, that has not been the case. 

On February 6th, during the 2021 NFL Honors Ceremony, the Detroit Lion Great heard Pro Football Hall of fame president David Baker knocking at his door late at night, where Baker congratulated Johnson from six feet away for becoming part of the 2021 Hall of Fame induction class. Similarly to another Lions legend, running back Barry Sanders, Johnson also called it a career at the peak of his game. Many attributed his retirement to Detroit’s lack of post-season success, as the Lions made the playoffs twice during Johnson’s nine-year career, but were kicked out in the wild card rounds. Nevertheless, the future hall of fame receiver had his fair share of individual success. 

In his nine total seasons in the Motor City, Johnson racked up a total of seven 1,000 yard seasons, two of which were over 1500 yards receiving, along with 84 career touchdowns, and earning six pro bowls nods, three First-Team All-Pro’s, and is a member of the NFL 2010’s All-Decade Team. 

In such a polarizing career by the 6’5’’, 240-pound pass-catcher, critics and analysts were unanimous in the fact that Johnson was a Hall of Famer. But whether he was worthy of first-ballot induction was a different story, mainly due to his short time in the league. Megatron’s supporters argued that, despite him playing only nine seasons, Johnson was arguably the most dominant receiver during his 9-year stretch and changed the way defenses had to game plan. 

Similar to another Hall of Fame Receiver, Randy Moss, Johnson forced defenses to double team (and even sometimes triple-team) him in the red zone in order to stop his large frame, combined with his elite speed and jumping ability. The only difference was that Johnson even had 2 corners line up directly in front of him on some red zone attempts.

Regardless of the skepticism that many have surrounding his mysterious retirement, Johnson surely left an everlasting mark on the game. Since his retirement in 2015, there has not been a single player to break his season receiving record with 1,964 yards. This statistic alone should help support Calvin Johnson’s case for one of the greatest receivers to ever play in the NFL.

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-By: LeMarkus Bailey