DETROIT — On Sunday night, guests of the evening filtered in through the Gate G entrance of Ford Field, up the escalators and into the Hall of Legends, where they would soon honor one of their own — wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
This is Johnson’s weekend. On Thursday, he took in a Detroit Tigers game amid a playoff race that’s captured his and the city’s attention. He celebrated his 39th birthday, and still looks like he could suit up if need be. On Sunday, many of Johnson’s family, friends, colleagues and former Lions greats met in Detroit for a dinner to recognize his legacy. And on Monday night, during the Lions’ Week 4 contest against the Seattle Seahawks, Johnson will be forever immortalized, as he’s inducted into the Pride of the Lions — the franchise’s ring of honor.
But even on a night dedicated to him, Johnson set some time aside to talk about his relationship with the 2024 Detroit Lions — always looking to pay it forward.
“It’s awesome to be able to come back, to be wanted back,” Johnson said. “That’s the cool thing, to have the guys come up and ask questions, to be able to be in front of them just to give the knowledge and tidbits that I’ve gained and all the experience I’ve gained over the years that I played — both on and off the field. For them to be open enough to receive it, that for me — just coming back and giving — just makes me want to do it more and more. It’s great that those guys are receiving my presence.”
Over in Allen Park, Mich., the feeling is mutual. Detroit’s larger-than-life receiver is still a larger-than-life presence in the locker room. There’s a genuine aura to Johnson you sense when asking current players about him. All the more impressive, considering the majority of players on the roster hadn’t yet made it to the NFL by the time Johnson retired in 2015.
But they, like so many others, grew up watching him make play after play for the franchise. His appeal stretched far beyond city limits.
With that in mind, The Athletic spent the week asking current Lions players about Johnson, his career, his legacy and the moment he’ll have Monday night. Here’s what we gathered.
Many current Lions players grew up watching Calvin Johnson and are grateful that he offers them guidance. (Leon Halip / Getty Images)
Several members of this Detroit Lions team shared their earliest memories of watching Calvin Johnson. Some remembered his signature cleats. Some remembered playing with the Lions on Madden just to throw jump balls to Johnson. But most remember him for what he was — being a dominant receiver.
Lions WR Allen Robinson, a Detroit native who grew up a Lions fan: “You know, at that point in time, we had — when I say we, I mean the Detroit Lions — we had a run of receivers in the draft. For whatever reason, you know, a lot of those guys didn’t fully pan out. So drafting Calvin and seeing him develop into that guy was super cool, just as far as him coming in from college, immediately dominating and just kind of changing the game.”
Lions DT DJ Reader: “Man, when I was a kid, just watching Megatron, he was just amazing. He was the first, like, real big receiver that had everything — speed, routes, hands — and he never really, like, complained. Things weren’t going his way, guys were out there triple and double-teaming him, he was out there doing his thing. As a kid, you hear that nickname, ‘Megatron.’ During that time, he really wasn’t stopped. Everybody knew what was going on, who the ball was going to and he was still coming up with it. His resilience to get to this level and see what it takes for him to be that dominant — I think that’s the appreciation you have. As like younger player and you get older, you’re like, ‘Damn, to be that dominant, you had to be that dude.’ You always remember that.”
Lions WR Jameson Williams: “He was the best receiver to me. I think him and Randy Moss were two of the best receivers to me. …With the size that they have and the speed that they have and the ability to get the ball and stuff like that, him and Randy Moss, they was two of the greatest guys at this position to play the game.”
Lions CB Carlton Davis III: “If you were a kid who watched football growing up, you knew who he was and how dominant he was. That’s who Calvin Johnson was.”
Wide receivers and defensive backs know better than most what makes a wide receiver special. DBs are the ones tasked with guarding the best of the best. Wide receivers have an appreciation for the craft and what goes into it. Hearing their evaluations of Johnson gives you a sense of the widespread respect he’s garnered after a decorated career.
Williams: “6-foot-5, 4.3 speed and just playmaking ability.”
Lions safety Kerby Joseph: “He could catch, you know I’m saying? Through anything. His spectacular catch was probably like a 99 overall, or if anything, 100. I feel like even though you knew they were gonna throw it and you could try to cover him, he was still catching it.”
Lions CB Kindle Vildor: “I feel like he was one of a kind for real. I mean, with his size, he was a dude who could run, catch the ball. I mean, he was one of one to play the position, for sure. Someone that big, he shouldn’t be able to move like that and be like that. So, shoot, I’m glad we don’t got nobody like him today.”
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Lions CB Amik Robertson: “You don’t see anybody that big that could run and jump, you feel me? Other than Randy (Moss). Guys nowadays, yeah they big, but they can’t really run, get out their breaks, like, he was just different, man.”
Lions WR Tim Patrick, a 6-foot-4 receiver: “He’s one of the greatest of all time, especially at the receiver position. And he made guys like me know that just because we’re a tall receiver doesn’t mean we gotta play like a big receiver. We could do small-guy things, too. He just led the way, man. Consistency, and he played the game the right way, man. He’s definitely somebody you can look up to in this game.”
Robinson: “I feel like people didn’t give him enough credit for being able to run the whole route tree, being able to go across the middle. Granted, I know a lot of people just look at big bodies and say they’re able to go across the middle, but him being able to go across the middle and also stretch the field vertically, being able to run and catch slants — he had so much fear in DBs as far as what he could run. And you would see that when you would watch his games, whether it was a slant that he would take to the house or a big in or just a go ball, a post, you know, whatever it was, he could run a little bit everything.”
Davis III: “I mean, s—, he’s Calvin Johnson. There’s nothing he can’t do. He was literally the most unstoppable receiver in history. So, like, it just kind of goes without saying.”
While digging through the mental archives asking for Calvin Johnson moments that stood out, a number of players referenced a moment from 13 years ago that still goes viral every now and then. In a game against the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 4, 2011, the Lions had a first-and-goal from the New Orleans 2. Johnson is split out wide to the left. The goal-line fade was almost automatic for a guy with his size (6-foot-5) and leaping ability. But the Saints did their best to thwart it, sending a pair of DBs in his face before the play. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was a gunner on special teams. It spoke volumes about the kind of player he was and the sort of attention he commanded.
The ultimate sign of respect. Or maybe fear. pic.twitter.com/5kdG6rLvyv
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) September 30, 2024
Robinson: “I think was a Saints game where he had like a vice down at the goal line in the red zone. A lot of people didn’t command double teams like that.”
Davis III: “I’ve seen the film of two guys, like, pressing him. Insane. … I would hate to be the guys that had to do it. But yeah, that’s who he was.”
Patrick: “I remember when that went viral. I don’t know when that was, but yeah, I’ve never seen nothing like that before where they actually put two guys to press him like he was a gunner on punt. So, yeah, he’s definitely one of one, I’ll tell you that.”
Lions WR Kalif Raymond: “There’s a couple plays on film where it looks like — you’d probably think it was a special teams rep. But no, he’s definitely a guy who warranted that much attention. I’ve never seen it before.”
Vildor: “As a receiver, you’re like, ‘Man, OK, these guys got a lot of respect for me.’ …You’re like, ‘Man, y’all got two people on me?’ You could at least try to hide it, you know what I mean? You don’t gotta show it.”
Robertson: “Respect? Man, that’s the sign of fear. Like, this is what we have to do to win the game? He’s just different. You don’t even see that nowadays. Like, you know how a guy’s doubled or whatever? Like, they had two guys. They probably had a safety cheat over still, you feel me? He’s a freak of nature, man.”
Defensive backs — at every level, really — are notoriously and perhaps irrationally confident in their abilities. In the NFL in particular, you need to be. With that in mind, I asked Lions DBs if they could guard prime Calvin Johnson in a one-on-one matchup. The answers did not disappoint.
Joseph: “I’m winning. I ain’t gonna lie. I would never say nobody can beat me. I would do what I gotta do.”
Davis III: “I’d handle him.”
Robertson (nervous laugh): “Yup. Yeah, I could take him one-on-one.”
These days, Johnson is no stranger to the organization. He makes annual appearances at training camp, texts with current players, introduces himself to new guys, goes to games and even narrated the “Sunday Night Football” intro ahead of the 2024 opener featuring the Rams and Lions. Players appreciate him for it.
Robertson: “When I first got here, man, there was a day I had made a play or whatever. He just came and talked to me. Me and him had some conversations. He asked me where I was from and we kind of just had a good conversation, man. Overall, a good guy. He’s definitely a guy that represents this organization with character and respect on and off the field. So, I ain’t got nothing but love and respect for him, man. I salute him. He in my top three all-time.”
Reader: “I got a chance to sit on a panel with him. It’s cool when your (favorite) stars and those guys that you see as a young kid, you get to meet them — it’s just very surreal. They’re very comfortable in who they are, confident, and still able to share everything and give people knowledge. It was dope.”
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Joseph: “He’s cool. He’s real cool. He’s a good guy. He’ll give me a text. He always wishes you good luck for games, so shout out to him.”
Raymond: “Humble, genuine dude, man. Pleasure to be around. Got a lot of information, shows a lot of love. Honestly, just a good spirit to be around when he’s here, man, so it’s good to pick up as much as you can. He has a perspective, obviously, a very good one — both on and off the field. Especially what he’s doing now, man, he’s a huge resource as far as just learning what to do, what to do next, what we can continue doing and what worked for him.”
Vildor: “I see him a lot. I haven’t talked to him personally, but I see him around. I saw him helping out some of our receivers and stuff like that. So, it’s good he’s able to come, give back, show love to Jamo, Saint, everybody else.”
Williams: “We talked a lot during the summertime. I see him on the sideline a lot and we talk there. He always looks out for me and tries to help me in all the ways. …It’s great. He’s a great receiver. One of the best receivers to ever play the game. So, it’s all eyes and all ears when we’re talking. Take all the advice in and just listen, really. So, that would be my main thing when I’m talking to him. Every time, I’m just trying to learn something new.”
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: “It’s been awesome. One of the best to ever do it at the receiver position. To have him around, obviously, I’m a fan first and foremost as a kid, but to have him around, ask him questions, obviously, I would say my game and his game are polar opposites, but still, we play the same position and we go through the same things, so to have him around, it’s a blessing, it’s an honor and I’m glad he’s able to finally get that recognition that he deserves.”
Robinson: “Just as good as he was as a player, he’s a phenomenal person, which is super cool. Just seeing certain things that he does around the community, whether that’s football camps and other things, just him being around. It’s cool to see a person like that not only be as great as they are, but just have the humility in certain things. When you really see a person like Calvin, you really reflect on yourself to see this person who’s such a humble, great person who’s accomplished so much, it really humbles you as a person, just being around him and seeing how he goes about his day and goes about his business.”
Johnson’s induction into the Pride of the Lions will take place at halftime of Monday evening’s game vs. the Seattle Seahawks. There was a time when Johnson’s relationship with the organization had soured after a financial dispute led to a falling out of sorts. But the organization has worked to mend the relationship over time. Monday’s ceremony will be the latest example. The current generation is happy to see him get a moment like this.
Vildor: “I feel like that’s gonna be real cool for him, man, just to show all his hard work, it didn’t go unnoticed while he was playing to able to get recognized today.”
Davis III: “That’s what’s up. It’s dope, honestly. It’s well-deserved.”
Reader: “It’s gonna be really dope. It’s a blessing for him, a blessing for him and his family, especially with all the hard work he put in. To stay with one organization and really do it and wearing the sleeves for that organization every weekend, man, it’s just a blessing. To get honored in that way, it’s what you do it for, you know? You do it to, especially a guy like him, to get a gold jacket, get your name up in the stadium and he’s doing all that. That’s dope.”
Robinson: “It’s cool, man. I’m happy for him, happy for his family, happy for the city, for the organization. I think whenever you’re in this business — whether that’s team-wise or player-wise — teams seek that they’re able to draft a player like Calvin Johnson, and Calvin is a person where you seek that you can have a career like Calvin Johnson. So seeing both of those things come to fruition is pretty cool and special.”
Lions head coach Dan Campbell: “I just think what’s unique about Calvin is — I was fortunate to play with him, it wasn’t very long and he was a pup, but man, when you have the ability that that guy has, the things that God gave him, and then he gives everything he’s got, he works, he worked at his craft, he was an unselfish player, he was a great teammate, then it’s no wonder he’s a Hall of Famer. Those guys — they’re kind of rare. They’re very rare. …He was the total package as a player, as a teammate, as a person, and I think it speaks volumes for the team, the organization, to be able to have him back in the fold and to be able to honor him because he deserves that, he’s earned that and he’s just — man, he’s a hell of a dude.”