AP

When Calvin Johnson was the best receiver in the league, Calvin Johnson was Megatraon. Even with two defenders obsessed with his every move, Megatron would run past them, accelerate to the ball, and make contested catches.

But Calvin Johnson isn’t Megatron anymore. He no longer runs away from coverage, no longer sprints to the ball and makes the big catch. Calvin Johnson has become a possession receiver, generating stats via underneath routes or breaking off attempts to run deep and coming back for a shorter throw.

On multiple occasions on Monday night against the Seahawks, quarterback Matthew Stafford tried to find Calvin Johnson down the field, but couldn’t connect. ESPN’s Mike Tirico blamed one of the incompletions on Stafford. In past years, however, Johnson would have gotten to the ball.

Now, barely a week past his 30th birthday, Johnson is showing his age and the wear and tear that has resulted in Johnson constantly battling knee and ankle problems. This is allowing defenses to use one guy to cover Johnson instead of two, making it harder for the rest of the Lions offense to operate.

That said, he’s still on pace for more than 100 catches and more than 1,000 yards this year (assuming he plays in every game). But that’s a long way from a league record of 1,964 yards in 2012, and it’s not nearly enough to justify a $24 million cap number in 2016. Which means that it’ll likely be a new contract or a new team for Johnson in 2016 — unless Megatron unexpectedly returns.