*I have to start this off by saying that, in my opinion, there is less than a 5% chance that former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson ever plays in the NFL again.

That being said, a report has surfaced that Pro Football Talk picked up, via Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report, which claims that at least a “half-dozen teams” have attempted to convince Johnson to come out of retirement for the 2017 season. Freeman says that though Johnson has not expressed interest to return, the attempts to lure him back have been “fairly fierce.”

The most important thing to note here is that even if Calvin were to decide to make a comeback to the NFL, the Lions would still have his rights. The only way he would be able to play for another team is if Detroit were to trade him away.

Johnson has been very clear that he has no interest in returning to the league but he has stayed around the game, including attending a Miami Dolphins training camp practice earlier in the week. He also made an appearance at the Oakland Raiders OTAs earlier in the offseason.

Johnson has been in the news quite a bit this offseason, including for talking further about why he left football. That reason, of course, was that he did not feel like he was treated fairly by the Lions organization and that he did not feel like the team was close to winning a Super Bowl. Since making those comments, many Lions fans have been very vocal, either defending Johnson or destroying him for speaking his mind too late.

https://detroitsportsnation.com/detroit-lions-news/ddrysdale/just-detroit-lions-release-first-depth-chart-2017-season/94892/