The Detroit Lions don't plan to wait all offseason for Calvin Johnson to decide upon his playing future.
NFL Media's Rand Getlin reported that the team expects the Pro Bowl receiver to make a decision by Tuesday at noon ET on whether he will retire or return for another season.
With Megatron set to make $16 million in base salary in 2016 -- with a whopping $24 million cap hit -- Detroit can save $11.1 million if Johnson retires, per the Detroit Free Press. With roughly $30 million in cap room, the Lions would like to know what kind of cash they're playing with heading into Wednesday's launch of free agency.
New Lions general manager Bob Quinn confirmed at the combine that he spoke with Johnson, but said there would be "no deadline" for the wideout to make a decision. The Free Press, though, noted Monday that the Lions "have told people that they hope to know in the next 24 hours" what Johnson's plans are for 2016.
Entering his age-31 campaign, Johnson looms as a future Hall of Famer, but his play has not been the same in recent seasons. We'll find out soon enough if Peyton Manning's retirement wasn't the only bomb drop during a busy week of NFL business.
