Jim Caldwell Says Calvin Johnson, Lions Will Work Out Differences

While Calvin Johnson isn't happy with the way his career with the Detroit Lions ended, head coach Jim Caldwell doesn't believe there will be a lasting issue.

The 62-year-old coach compared teams to a family and noted the similarities with disagreements.

"I have grown children," Caldwell explained, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN. "Sometimes we look at things a little differently. We hash them out, talk them out. There's dialogue, but it doesn't mean I don't love them. But we get the differences worked out.

"I think the same thing will happen in this situation. Maybe there's a disagreement, a little different viewpoint, but the most important thing, I think, is perhaps this whole thing will bring about a little bit more dialogue."

Johnson retired suddenly after the 2015 season following six straight Pro Bowl appearances. While he is apparently happy in retirement, his relationship with the Lions has been strained.

"I don't even like to talk Lions too much just because the way our relationship ended," the receiver said recently, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "... I just didn't feel like I was treated the way I should have been treated on the way out."

The team reportedly required Johnson to pay back part of his signing bonus worth $320,000 upon retiring.

Johnson only played nine seasons, but he still ranks in the top 30 in NFL history in both receiving yards and touchdowns.