Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson admits why he retired: Comeback possible in 2017?

Two years ago, if you were a Detroit Lions fan and someone told you that Calvin Johnson, the Lions all-time leading receiver in yards and long time fan favorite, would become one of the biggest Detroit Lions haters in 2017 you would think they were joking. Unfortunately, for the Lions and their fans, this has become the case.

Calvin Johnson speaks his mind

Johnson recently told the media that while he wasn’t lying about one key factor of his retirement being that his body had taken a lot of abuse over his nine year career, he also said Detroit’s continuous losing played a big roll in walking away as well.

Now, one year after leaving the game, Johnson has admitted that playing for the Detroit Lions played a huge role in his decision to retire from the NFL. Johnson opened up recently on his trip to Italy, where he presented the game ball for Italian Bowl XXXVII, the American football championship game in the country.

Johnson made many comments that raised some eyebrows, including that he was "stuck" playing with the Lions, and he would have preferred to leave Motown. Yahoo! reported that one comment Johnson made had the sports media questioning if Johnson may attempt a Comeback in the near future.

Reportedly, Johnson went to the Lions' brass and asked to be let out of his current contract, but the Lions declined to do so.

So what if Detroit did release Johnson before he decided to call it quits? Would Johnson have really walked away from the game?

A Calvin Johnson return?

With such an interesting comment by Johnson, could the 31 year-old former NFL star attempt a comeback anytime soon? Obviously Johnson said he left the game because the Lions wouldn't let him out of his deal and he believed that Detroit had no shot at winning a title. So if a team like the New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, New York Giants or any other Super Bowl favorites came calling this fall, would Johnson contemplate a return? In this case, it makes you wonder. Johnson commented during his nearly 30 minute press conference in Italy that he wanted to leave Detroit in hopes of hooking up with a contender and forming a "super team," like so many NBA squads have been doing over the past decade or so.

With the Lions refusing to let CJ out of his deal, he chose to walk away and head to ABC’s hit show “Dancing with the Stars.”

In the case of a Johnson return, it certainly can’t be ruled out. He is still young enough and in great shape. And most importantly, he is now free to head anywhere he wants - that is if a team wants to make him an offer. Johnson hauled in 83 touchdowns and collected 11,619 yards in his nine year career.