Calvin Johnson wants to stay put with the Detroit Lions regardless of the changes taking place, but the issue is that the wide receiver might not have a say in his future with the franchise as the team is expected to rebuild in the upcoming offseason. While the Lions have not stated who is staying and who is going following several departures in the front office, it is expected that Matthew Stafford and Johnson will have their futures debated given their contracts. So where could Johnson end up?
According to Johnson, "We'll have to wait and see" when it comes to trade talk and his future with Detroit. That was not exactly a ringing endorsement to stay put in the franchise. The wide receiver is in his prime at the moment and is still without a championship ring. The idea that he is willing to go through a rebuild is unlikely which brings up trade talks.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the call on Johnson is tough. It would be very hard to rebuild a franchise without both Stafford and the wide receiver so one player could still around. However, they combine for $46.5 million in salary cap space next year. Johnson is the smaller hit which means he could stay put, but if the receiver were to be made available, teams would certainly come calling and likely offer Detroit something helpful in the rebuilding process.
NFL Mocks lays out possible landing destinations for Johnson as the Oakland Raiders top the list. This actually is a logical fit. Derek Carr is a quarterback on the rise and the team will have upwards of $72 million in cap space to spare. Taking on Johnson's contract would be easy and pairing him with Amari Cooper would be huge for the quarterback. The Raiders would easily be interested.
The Carolina Panthers could be a solid pick. They have done a lot with a little this season after losing Kelvin Benjamin to a knee injury. With Cam Newton coming into his own as a franchise star, pairing Johnson and Benjamin together would be a huge one-two punch for the Panthers. The San Diego Chargers could be thinking the same thing as they deal with a number of injuries right now. Philip Rivers is coming back which would give Johnson a quality quarterback to work with. The 49ers are preparing to have plenty of salary cap space that could grow if Colin Kaepernick is released. Pairing Johnson and Torrey Smith would be a nice one-two punch.
There are options if the Lions opt to make Johnson available. With Stafford being 27, he is the ideal person to keep around for re-building meaning Johnson is the player to go. He holds a lot of value in this league which the Lions could take advantage of.
