Former Lions WR Calvin Johnson says he doesn't miss playing in the NFL
The former Lions receiver says 'it became difficult to love the game' due to the physical pain he suffered
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2 min read
It's been a few years since Calvin Johnson unexpectedly said goodbye to the NFL and, while there have been intermittent rumors of a possible return, it doesn't sound like the wide receiver is planning on any sort of comeback.
In fact, the 32-year-old Johnson published a piece via The Players' Tribune on Tuesday saying that he doesn't even miss the game.
"I can honestly say that I don't miss playing. I love football. But it became difficult to love the game as much when I was in some sort of pain every day. I never talked about it while I was playing because...what good would that do? It wouldn't make me hurt any less. It would just sound like an excuse. And I hate making excuses. So I continued to play as best I could for as long as I could, which turned out to be nine years."
Despite the pain, Johnson was still a very effective playmaker when he left the NFL following the 2015 season. That year, he was selected to his sixth-consecutive Pro Bowl after reeling in 88 catches and nine touchdowns.
Megatron certainly did all he could to leave his mark in his nine seasons with the Detroit Lions, making 731 catches for 11,619 yards (29th all-time) and 83 touchdowns (22nd all-time). That could be enough to get him into the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, though it's not necessarily a lock.
Johnson went on to say that he's enjoying himself in retirement, spending his time golfing, fishing, skiing, surfing and, yes, competing on "Dancing With The Stars." Despite not knowing how to dance (or dance well) when he accepted the DWTS invite, Johnson finished third on the reality TV show. He claims it was one of the most challenging and physically-demanding endeavors of his life, but that it was an extremely valuable experience.
DWTS also provided a good transition for me. I had pretty much just retired, and the show allowed me to still have something I could practice and work towards — competition that I had to physically and emotionally prepare for in a way that was similar to what I did playing football.
In a way, it gave me confidence when facing the uncertainty of retirement. Being able to compete on that stage and actually perform well enough to finish in third place really reinforced my core belief that if you put your mind and heart into something and work at it, then you can do it.
If you're in the market to watch Johnson cut a rug at your wedding or party, you might be in luck. If you want to watch him play for your favorite football team, not so much.
