Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

SAN JOSE - One of Calvin Johnson's close friends and former teammates said it defies logic that new Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn hasn't reached out to the star receiver yet and a simple conversation could help sway Johnson to play another season.

"That's ridiculous," NFL Network analyst Nate Burleson said at Super Bowl media night at the SAP Center. "Like you’re casually going about enticing one of the best receivers in my era to come back and then you’re casual about showing your appreciation for a guy who was literally and figuratively put the organization on his back without complaint.

"We’ve all seen guys get paid for what they’ve done and we all kind of squint our eyes and say 'I didn’t see that coming,' but I understand it. If they gave Calvin $15 million and they thought he was half the man he was used to be, if I lived in Detroit I wouldn't complain. Now I get it. everybody’s saying, 'Nate, that’s your friend, you're talking numbers that doesn’t make sense financially as a businessman.' But sometimes you’ve got to roll the dice. Just like they rolled the dice when he was a rookie and it benefitted the organization, you might want to roll it right now because it might benefit the organization."

Johnson has told several current and former teammates that he was mulling retirement because of the toll nine NFL seasons have taken on his body.

Quinn said at the Senior Bowl last week that the Lions are planning for multiple scenarios involving Johnson, both in case he returns and in the event he retires, but he has not yet spoken with Johnson about his future.

Burleson, who played with the Lions in 2010-13, said he has spoken by phone and text with Johnson, but he has neither directly asked nor been told if Johnson will in fact retire.

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Burleson acknowledged the toll the game has taken on Johnson's body, but he speculated there could be a human element to Johnson's potential retirement, too.

Johnson spent this season answering questions about his future, including whether he'd be willing to take a paycut from the near $16 million base salary he's scheduled to make in 2016 because of his declining production.

"Is anybody (telling him how important he is to the franchise)?" Burleson said. "I know the city is. I know there’s an outpour, I know you guys are and I know teammates. We’re not the ones that are up there in the front office with the suits on. Calvin knows how we feel about them. I think there needs to be somebody that’s making decisions to actively tell him and actively tell him over and over and remind him why it’s important to come put a Detroit Lions jersey on."

While most people believe Johnson will officially retire sometime in the next few weeks, Burleson said he held off on posting an Instagram tribute to Johnson because he's not 100% sure.

"I don’t think it’s done," Burleson said. "Nothing’s official. Yeah, I didn’t (post anything). so I’m waiting. And maybe that’s the fan in me. Maybe it’s like being a fan of Tupac. I don’t think he’s dead yet. Until you prove that to me, I still think he’s in Cuba. Calvin’s coming back. Tupac’s alive. That’s a wrap."

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

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