Nate Burleson, the former teammate of the now-retired Calvin Johnson, wrote a heartfelt tribute on Facebook to his fellow receiver a few weeks ago. Around the same time, Burleson wrote a longer post on NFL.com on why Johnson was a Hall of Famer. Buried in it was this gem:
First off, let’s remember Johnson said in his statement that he had “played [his] last game of football.” But wouldn’t it be fun if he was secretly taking a year off to get away from the Lions?
If that was the case and Johnson emerged in 2017 to make a run at a Super Bowl ring with Bill Belichick, there would be one thing standing in his way. From Pro Football Talk:
Side note: Wouldn’t it be the best if Johnson pulled off Burelson’s dream move only to see Brady retire soon after that? It’s more likely that if Brady were mulling retirement, he might stick around to throw to a talent like Megatron, who retired with some gas left in the tank.
This is, of course, the most speculative of speculation. But thanks to Burleson, it’s a fun exercise while we wait for actual football to return.
“There is one final message I’d like to give him … Congratulations on your retirement, man. Now, take this year off … then find a way to land with the Patriots and get a championship ring. You deserve it.”
That post is now making the rounds and it’s got some Pats fans wondering: Could it happen?
First off, let’s remember Johnson said in his statement that he had “played [his] last game of football.” But wouldn’t it be fun if he was secretly taking a year off to get away from the Lions?
If that was the case and Johnson emerged in 2017 to make a run at a Super Bowl ring with Bill Belichick, there would be one thing standing in his way. From Pro Football Talk:
“If he retires as a Lions and later unretires, the Lions will control his rights. If he retires as a free agent and later unretires, he can sign with any team he wants, unimpeded by the Lions.”
Johnson retired as a Lion, so it would take him either forcing a trade or getting released to pave the way for him to join the Patriots, who will have a 39-year-old Tom Brady under center by then. The takes would no doubt be scalding hot about the move if Johnson could pull it off. But could you blame one of the best receivers of his generation doing just one selfish thing in the quest for a championship? We see it to a lesser extent in other sports where countless veterans make a final run to a ring. They just happen not to do it by retiring, unretiring and getting their way out from under a contract.
Side note: Wouldn’t it be the best if Johnson pulled off Burelson’s dream move only to see Brady retire soon after that? It’s more likely that if Brady were mulling retirement, he might stick around to throw to a talent like Megatron, who retired with some gas left in the tank.
This is, of course, the most speculative of speculation. But thanks to Burleson, it’s a fun exercise while we wait for actual football to return.
