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He is simply in pain.
Johnson, 30, has talked to former teammates about what it is like to be retired.
Do they miss the game?
Are they miserable away from the game?
What are they doing as family men and former players?
Johnson cleaned out his locker Tuesday and notified the Lions he might be making that move.
Johnson has no desire to play for another team and could leave after nine seasons and in relative good health. He stands to lose at least $24 million in salary but Johnson has already earned more than $160 million in career earnings. He is not known as a spend thrift and should be in good shape for the rest of his career. He could earn millions annually from investments alone from his nest egg.
Johnson has suffered a number of injuries which forced him to miss practices the past few seasons but only three games the past three years. However, Johnson was in obvious pain and took a more secondary role with the team. He finished the 2015 season with 88 catches for 1,214 yards and five touchdowns. It was just his fifth most productive season of his career. But Johnsons 13.8 yards per catch was the lowest of his career.
He already has a ticket to Canton for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
This does not mean Johnson is retiring. But there is a good chance he does not return to the Lions or the entire NFL.
I spoke to former teammates who said they thought of retiring two years before they left. But they were not as detailed in their questions as Johnson has been. Hes talked about it during the season and he has talked about it after the season ended. The issue of concussions plays a role. Johnson probably has had a concussion or two and does not want to go through it again.
CJ is in decline as a player. However, he still has two or three years left in him if he wants to go through the rigors of training camp. Does Johnson want to go through the pain of training like a world class athlete.
Johnson, 30, has talked to former teammates about what it is like to be retired.
Do they miss the game?
Are they miserable away from the game?
What are they doing as family men and former players?
Johnson cleaned out his locker Tuesday and notified the Lions he might be making that move.
Johnson has no desire to play for another team and could leave after nine seasons and in relative good health. He stands to lose at least $24 million in salary but Johnson has already earned more than $160 million in career earnings. He is not known as a spend thrift and should be in good shape for the rest of his career. He could earn millions annually from investments alone from his nest egg.
Johnson has suffered a number of injuries which forced him to miss practices the past few seasons but only three games the past three years. However, Johnson was in obvious pain and took a more secondary role with the team. He finished the 2015 season with 88 catches for 1,214 yards and five touchdowns. It was just his fifth most productive season of his career. But Johnsons 13.8 yards per catch was the lowest of his career.
He already has a ticket to Canton for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
This does not mean Johnson is retiring. But there is a good chance he does not return to the Lions or the entire NFL.
I spoke to former teammates who said they thought of retiring two years before they left. But they were not as detailed in their questions as Johnson has been. Hes talked about it during the season and he has talked about it after the season ended. The issue of concussions plays a role. Johnson probably has had a concussion or two and does not want to go through it again.
CJ is in decline as a player. However, he still has two or three years left in him if he wants to go through the rigors of training camp. Does Johnson want to go through the pain of training like a world class athlete.
