It’s no secret that the relationship between the Detroit Lions isn’t exactly on the strongest of grounds.
It has been well-documented that the Lions asked Johnson, the greatest receiver in franchise history, repay “One point six million” of his signing bonus when he retired before his contract was up. According to Johnson, there’s only one way for the Lions to get back into his good graces – give him the money back.
“The only way they’re going to get me back is they put that money back in my pocket,” he explained in 2019. “Nah, you don’t do that. I don’t care what they say. They can put it back, then they can have me back. That’s the bottom line.”
Among his career accolades include sporting the best three year stretch by a receiver in NFL history. A three time All-Pro selection, he holds the NFL season record for receiving yards with 1,964.
He was recently selected as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2021, and the Lions officially released their case as to why Johnson should claim his place in Canton, Ohio.
The presentation can be viewed by clicking this link.
While Johnson is almost certainly going to soon be confirmed to the Hall, it isn’t so clear on whether or not his relationship with the team he starred for will be repaired any time soon.
