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The Detroit Lions insisted they made good faith efforts to mend the broken relationship with longtime wide receiver Calvin Johnson ahead of Johnson’s induction into the Professional Football Hall of Fame this weekend . Details of the Lions’ offer to Johnson are now public.
According to the report by Dave Birkett of the Free Press,
The documents, which were reviewed by Free Press, detailed a three-year deal that would pay Johnson $ 500,000 a year for appearance costs and the Lions would make a one-time payment of $ 100,000 to Johnson’s charity.
In the deal’s first year, Johnson was reportedly forced to devote 28 hours to various Lions events, including a five-hour appearance in a game this fall when the team planned to induct their No.1 jersey. 81 in their pride of Lions..
Johnson remains upset with the Lions over the squad that forced him to repay up to $ 1.6million in signing bonuses when he unexpectedly retired in 2016, when he Four years remained on his record contract extension. The exact amount Johnson was forced to repay has never been officially validated; NFLPA documentation placed him at just $ 320,000, which is less of a match check for Johnson in his contract. This Free Press report puts the value at $ 1.6 million. The Lions could have legally requested a refund of up to $ 3.2 million based on Johnson’s early retirement.
Johnson and his agent, Bus Cook, declined the above offer. Birkett cited the first HOFer ballot on Friday,
Asked about the Lions’ offer at the Hall of Fame festivities on Friday, Johnson said, “I mean, that’s not what I paid back, let’s put it that way.”
“So they’re not serious,” Johnson said. “That’s all.”
The door is not closed, according to Johnson, but he was quite reluctant to let the Lions knock on the door before his historic induction into Canton. It’s hard to see the Lions organization doing much more to try to right their wrong with Johnson.
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