Calvin Johnson is one of the greatest wide receivers to ever play the game of football, and though he is currently retired, there are rumors starting to circulate that suggest he may make his way back to the NFL.
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At first glace, these rumors would be great news for the Detroit Lions, who currently own the rights to his contract as the only team he's ever played for professionally. Upon further review, though, it's actually fans of the Oakland Raiders who should feel a tinge of excitement when thinking about Megatron.
The buzz started in May when Johnson was brought on as a special guest to Oakland's OTA camps as an advisor to the wide receivers. It was clear that Johnson was just there to help out, not to play, but that likely didn't stop Raiders fans from dreaming.
That buzz has become a real roar now, though, much in thanks to former Raiders running back Napoleon Kaufman, who wrote this on Twitter:
I hear whispers, I hear Megatron whispers.....whispers in the air. 👀 #RAIDERNATION
— Pastor Napoleon (@napoleonkaufman) July 14, 2017
Fair warning, Kaufman is no Adam Schefter, so there's likely not a ton of fire behind this smoke. Still, as Joel Corry of CBS Sports pointed out a few days ago, if (big if) Johnson did choose to un-retire the Lions likely wouldn't be able to keep him because his old deal would count towards their current salary cap.
Calvin Johnson can apply for reinstatement at any time. Old deal counts on Lions salary cap upon return, which would likely lead to release. https://t.co/iz6H1kcPQ4
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) July 13, 2017
Major negotiations or contract dumps aside, Detroit would likely have to release Johnson into free agency, where the Raiders would obviously be more than happy to make a play for him.
Imagining Derek Carr throwing to Johnson, Amari Cooper, and Michael Crabtree is the thing of nightmares for NFL defensive coordinators, and the addition of Megatron would easily propel Oakland into the upper echelon of teams in the AFC.
Of course, this is all based on rumors and whispers at this point, so don't go buying your Megatron jerseys just yet, Raiders fans.
