Calvin Johnson really wants his money back.
Earlier this month, Johnson spoke open and honestly about wanting to make things right with the Detroit Lions, but all they had to do was repay a seven-figure portion of the $16 million signing bonus he received before he retired in 2015.
“They already know what they got to do,” Johnson told the Free Press at the annual camp he runs for local high school students Saturday in metro Detroit. “The only way they’re going to get me back is they put that money back in my pocket. Nah, you don’t do that. I don’t care what they say. They can put it back, then they can have me back. That’s the bottom line.”
The future hall of famer spoke out against the franchise on Thursday during an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio and fired off some shots about getting paid back the money he believes they owe him.
Johnson signed a massive deal back in 2012 that included a great signing bonus, but the franchise would force him to repay $1 million upon his sudden retirement. The two sides have been at odds ever since.
This is the same thing the Lions did to Barry Sanders back in 1999 when they forced him to repay a seven-figure portion of his signing bonus when he retired abruptly. Much like Johnson right now, the Lions and Sanders also had a strained relationship for years before they ultimately made amends with each other.
