Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

There was no fax machine this time, no surprise announcement on the eve of training camp.

But just like Barry Sanders did nearly two decades ago, Calvin Johnson is walking away from the NFL and the Detroit Lions on his own terms.

Johnson announced that he is retiring from football in a statement released by the Lions today. He filed his retirement papers with the NFL in advance of the new league year, which begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday. The Lions announced that his contract "matters were settled to the satisfaction of the parties."

The 30-year-old played nine Hall of Fame-caliber seasons, all in Detroit, and goes down as the best receiver in franchise history.

"Let me assure you that this was not an easy or hasty decision," Johnson said in a released statement. "As I stated, I, along with those closest to me, have put a lot of time, deliberation and prayer into this decision and I truly am at peace with it.



“I also want you to know that I have the utmost respect and admiration for the game of football. It has provided so much for me and my family and I will be forever grateful to the game."

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Johnson led the Lions and finished 10th in the NFL with 1,214 yards receiving this season, but a recent spate of injuries started to wear down his body.

Johnson underwent off-season knee and finger surgeries in January 2014 and spent most of the last two seasons on the injury report with nagging pain in his ankle.

He confided in current and former teammates late in the season and in the days after the 7-9 campaign ended that he was considering retirement, and when word leaked of those discussions in early January, he acknowledged the decision he was weighing in a statement released by the Lions.

By announcing his decision now, Johnson gives the Lions and new general manager Bob Quinn plenty of time to prepare for his departure.

The Lions will gain about $11.1 million in salary cap space from Johnson’s retirement and can target a replacement in free agency or spend a high pick on a receiver in this year’s NFL draft.The Lions pick 16th in the first round of the draft.

“That’s a tremendous loss, tremendous void to fill,” Sanders said at the 2016 NFL Honors show in California. “But at the same time you certainly have to take it upon yourself to do that. That’s what they’re going to have to live with, and I’m sure they’re trying to map that out as we speak. And I haven’t really even gotten to that point in my thought process, but we all know it’s dang near impossible to replace a guy like that.”

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Johnson’s retirement is reminiscent, in many ways, of Sanders’ decision to walk away from the game a generation ago, albeit with different timing.

Sanders, the Lions’ iconic running back, retired after 10 NFL seasons by faxing an announcement to his hometown newspaper the day before training camp in 1999, when he was just 1,457 yards shy of Walter Payton’s rushing record. He had just turned 31.

Johnson, who turns 31 in September, ranks among the game’s most prolific receivers, with career totals of 11,619 receiving yards and 83 touchdowns.

Sanders won one playoff game and reached the postseason five times in his career. Johnson has been to the postseason twice without a victory.

In his statement, Johnson said: "My biggest regret is that I wasn’t able to help give our fans a championship. But I do believe the future of the Lions is bright and with the leadership from people like Rod Wood and Bob Quinn, who I have gotten to know over the past few months, I am confident that our fans will soon be rewarded with the championship you deserve."

“Bravo to Calvin,” New York Jets receiver Brandon Marshall said in the buildup to Super Bowl 50. “He’s going with his heart. It’s sad because, from a football fan’s perspective, we want to see Calvin, we want to see him shatter the rest of the records. He’s great, he’s awesome, he’s Megatron, and we’re not going to be able to see that anymore. But it’s a tough sport, and he’s been blessed. He’s going to leave an amazing imprint on the game and he should be proud of that.”

Johnson broke into the NFL with a solid, if unspectacular, rookie season. He had 48 catches for 756 yards in 2007 but earned the nickname Megatron for his huge frame and otherworldly abilities.

In 2008, Johnson had his first of seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons as the Lions suffered the NFL’s first 0-16 season. After taking a statistical step back in 2009 and finishing second in the NFL with 12 touchdown catches the following season, Johnson had one of the best three-year stretches of any receiver in NFL history beginning in 2011.

He led the league with 1,681 yards receiving and caught a career-best 16 touchdowns to lead the Lions to the playoffs that year, set an NFL record with 1,964 yards receiving in 2012, and finished third in the league with 1,492 yards receiving in 2013, despite missing two games.

Johnson hasn’t been as dominant the last two seasons and was used primarily as a possession receiver this year. But he had 10 catches for 137 yards in the Lions’ season-ending win over the Chicago Bears and gave few hints at the time that he was considering retirement.

Now that he is done, Johnson joins his draft classmate Patrick Willis and former San Francisco 49ers teammates Chris Borland and Anthony Davis as players who’ve retired early in recent years because of health concerns.

Willis, who went nine picks after Johnson in the 2007 draft, retired last March, at age 30, because of foot problems. Borland left the game after one season over concerns about brain injuries. And Davis sat out 2015 to give his “brain and body” a chance to heal, though he suggested that he could return to football.

Johnson has given no indication that he’ll reconsider his decision, and for now, the Lions, who went 54-92 in Johnson’s nine NFL seasons including the playoffs, will head into 2016 with Golden Tate and TJ Jones as their top two receivers.

Johnson, meanwhile, is Canton-bound and will join Charles Woodson and Peyton Manning as first-time eligible candidates in the 2021 Hall of Fame class.

“The G.O.A.T.,” Denver Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. “One of the greatest of all time. He decided to retire, and it’s an awesome deal. Everybody’s not going to play a long time in this game. I think that he’s proven that he’s definitely in the Hall of Fame.”

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Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.