The Detroit Lions are preparing to enter an offseason of rebuilding that will feature a new front office and potentially a new coaching staff. That means roster changes could easily follow as the team is in need of several position upgrades. Calvin Johnson can see the writing on the wall with two games left in the season. The wide receiver told the media he is not sure if Week 16 will be his final game in Detroit or not.
Johnson is facing a lot of questions about his future simply because his contract holds a salary cap hit the Lions cannot afford to continue carrying. When asked if this was his final home game as a Lion, Johnson responded via ESPN.com, "I don't know. I don't know."
The receiver might have recorded his sixth straight 1,000-yard season, but his $24.088 million contract cap hit and $15.95 million base salary is no longer wanted for a team needing to fill a lot of holes. If the Lions were to release Johnson at the end of the season, they save $11.1 million in cap space. That is very enticing for Detroit even if it means they get rid of Johnson. The veteran has stressed he would like to return in 2016 and finish his career out in Detroit, but that might not be an option.
"Whether it is or whether it's not, just going to go out there and going to try and leave a great impression on our home field being the last game at home to carry over to next year," Johnson said, via ESPN.com. "Just leaving out here with a win in our last game at home this year, that's the big part of it."
Matthew Stafford is another player facing uncertainty in his future, but according to the Detroit Free Press, the Lions are more likely to let go of Johnson than the quarterback who can help in the rebuilding process. Under interim offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, Stafford has seen an increase in production and can be a positive piece with the Lions in the future.
For now, the Lions will focus on the short-term. Golden Tate is coming into his own along with Eric Ebron and Ameer Abdullah. They are all players that can help build the future of the Lions while guys like Brandon Pettigrew, Joique Bell and Theo Riddick might not be guaranteed a return as well.
