NFL Legend Calvin Johnson Says Relationship With Lions 'Definitely on the Up and Up'

Detroit Lions legendary wide receiver Calvin Johnson is set to be honored with an induction into the Pride of the Lions during halftime of Monday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks, and he said his relationship with the franchise is moving in a positive direction.

"It's definitely on the up and up," Johnson said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "We've come a long ways from when I left here and that I don't know how long it was now ... eight, nine years ago to where we are now. It's been efforts on both sides to get us back to this point and I'm just happy to be at the point to have my kids here and being able to see the things that I was able to accomplish on the field. And that's exciting for just all my family just to be able to see the kids and they're like, 'Oh, this what daddy did.' It's cool."

Johnson abruptly retired from the NFL when he was in the prime of his career at 30 years old in 2015. His relationship with the Lions was frayed after he was forced to pay back a little more than $1 million to the franchise following his retirement. However, Woodyard noted that Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner helped mend fences.

During his nine-year career from 2007-15, Johnson led the NFL with 11,619 receiving yards and 83 receiving touchdowns, both of which are Lions franchise records, along with his 731 career receptions. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

Launched in 2019, the Pride of the Lions honors the greatest players in franchise history. Johnson will be joining a group of 20 greats, including Barry Sanders, Herman Moore, Lomas Brown and Chris Spielman, among others.