Calvin Johnson has been gone from the field for a decade, and the Detroit Lions still have not retired his No. 81. When he was asked when that might finally happen, the Hall of Fame receiver had no answer at all.
Johnson joined Kay Adams on her "Up & Adams" show this week,
and the topic came up after another Hall of Fame receiver got his own night. Adams pointed to Larry Fitzgerald, whose No. 11 the Arizona Cardinals retired at halftime of their game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Fitzgerald is the franchise leader in receptions and receiving yards. Then Adams asked Johnson straight up when his jersey is coming. He laughed and said:
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"Uh, I don't know. I didn't think about that. I have no idea. I'm the wrong person to ask that."
Adams was not letting it go. She warned him that when a number is not retired, somebody could one day decide to wear 81. She even brought up Romeo Doubs, who wears No. 87 for the New England Patriots, a number Rob Gronkowski made famous.
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That is a sore spot for Adams. She spoke up on social media in September after the Patriots gave Gronkowski's number to Doubs, who kept 87 from his Green Bay Packers days. Gronkowski said he was not consulted, though he was fine with it.
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Similarly, Johnson did not sound worried about anyone grabbing 81. He joked that the people who hand out jerseys would never let it happen:
"Oh man, I imagine I know my guys over there in the equipment room. They probably ain't even trying to get that number out."
Then Johnson agreed with Adams on the bigger question. He said:
"I didn't think about it, but, no, I mean, if you usually retire your Hall of Famers' numbers, so (that needs to happen)."
Detroit got nine seasons out of Johnson after taking him second overall in 2007. He left with 731 catches, 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021. Johnson's 2012 season was something else. He caught 122 passes for 1,964 yards, a single-season NFL record that was still standing when he retired.
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So what has been taking so long? Part of the answer is how Johnson left. He retired in March 2016 at age 30, and the Lions asked him to repay $1.6 million of his signing bonus, per NBC Sports. He turned down the team's offer of paid appearances ($500,000 a year for 28 hours of work), and the sides stayed distant.
Things have warmed up since then. Johnson began going to Lions games and practices again in 2023, and in 2024 the team inducted him into the Pride of the Lions at halftime of a Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks. Johnson said then that he "shed a tear" when he heard the news.
Still, a retired number could be next. Fitzgerald is an example of how it works. He went into the Hall of Fame this year and had his number retired in the same season. Johnson went in five years ago and is still waiting.
Meanwhile, Detroit has bigger things on its mind. The Lions beat the Green Bay Packers 20-17 on Sunday on a last-second field goal, which moved them to 4-2. Adams suggested the ceremony could come after they win the Super Bowl, and Johnson smiled and said:
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"I mean, that'd be dope. If we can win the Super Bowl, that'd be awesome."
That would be the Lions' first Super Bowl, and a No. 81 ceremony would fit the moment.
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