RELATED: Calvin Johnson plans to retire
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Calvin Johnson officially announced his retirement in January and most people were shocked since Megatron had only been in the league for nine seasons and is only 30 years old. However, there was one teammate who saw it coming and he was not shocked at all.
NFL.com spoke with Lions quarterback Mattew Stafford and he said he could see the league taking its toll on the prolific receiver.
"I've known Calvin for seven years and know the effort and the attitude that he plays with, and it takes a toll on people. And he was catching quite a few passes and getting hit quite a bunch, and so it takes a toll. And he's a guy that from an offensive standpoint was touching the ball or carrying the ball just as much as anybody. So I knew the NFL was kind of wearing on him and I just told him, when he told me he was done, I just told him, 'I'm happy for you if you're happy.' And that's what you want. He's a guy that gave everything to the game and you want him to be able to walk out on his own terms and feel like he did the right thing."
Now it all makes sense of why Stafford didn't try all that hard to convince his best receiver to come back and play another season. He knew he was out the door early on. Now Stafford and the Lions will have to find someone in this draft to replace him and that will be a tall task.
