The Detroit Lions are not a salary cap savvy organization, and it’s likely to cost them dearly in the next few seasons.
In the midst of reports that suggest Ndamukong Suh is likely playing his final season with the team, could Calvin Johnson also be coming to the end of an amazing era in Detroit as well.
According to Pro Football Talk, Johnson’s cap figure could take up a ton of space, and one that lead to the Lions potentially have to part ways with Johnson in the next two-years.
Crazy as it seems, Johnson carries a cap number of $20.558 million into the next league year. While a restructuring that converts, for example, $10 million of his $12.5 million salary into a signing bonus could cut the cap number down to $12.558 million, the maneuver would drive his 2016 cap number of $24 million up to $26 million.
At some point, Johnson may have to take less money in order to stick around. If he doesn’t want to do that, the Lions may have to part ways with him.
Johnson is still the games best wide receiver, so he’ll have his suitors if he ever becomes a free agent. On the downside, his recent string of injuries suggest bouts of inactivity in the next few years will increase as well.
Johnson takes a pounding on a weekly basis, so the wear-and-tear could finally be starting to take a toll.
Megatron is a future Hall of Famer and the pulse of the Lions, but Detroit may be forced to contemplate the same future that the Vikings were pondering before Adrian Peterson’s legal issues.
The Lions have never been serious contenders to win a Super Bowl, and have actually only had one winning season since Johnson was drafted.