Calvin Johnson: 'Very Strong Possibility' of Longer Career If Lions Won More

Calvin Johnson shocked the NFL world by retiring at the age of 30 in 2016. Though injuries played a role in the wide receiver's decision to walk away from football, so too did the Detroit Lions' inability to consistently win games.

In an in-depth interview with Sports Illustrated's Michael Rosenberg, the future Hall of Famer revealed that he may have continued playing beyond 2015 had the Lions achieved more success.

"I think there is a very strong possibility," Johnson admitted to Rosenberg.

Interestingly enough, though, he almost called it quits even earlier. Johnson revealed that he considered walking away following the 2014 season, which saw the Lions go 11-5 and make an appearance in the NFC Wild Card Game, but the fact his father said he sounded "unsure" about the decision convinced him to stick it out for one more year.

After being drafted second overall in 2007, Johnson spent the entirety of his nine-year career in the Motor City. Detroit went 7-9 during his rookie season but subsequently hit rock bottom. The Lions won a total of two games during the 2008 and 2009 seasons combined, becoming the first team to ever go 0-16 (2008).

Detroit compiled a regular-season record of 54-90 during Johnson's tenure, despite the receiver's record-setting performances. The Lions reached the postseason just twice during that span, though they never made it out of the Wild Card Round.

Megatron ultimately decided to hang up his cleats following a 7-9 campaign in 2015.

Johnson is responsible for one of the greatest single-season performances by a receiver in NFL history, as he set the league record with 1,964 receiving yards in 2012. Despite that gaudy feat, the Lions went just 4-12 en route to a last-place finish in the NFC North.

That would be a theme of Megatron's career: He could not carry the team by himself.

This is not the first time Johnson has talked about the way Detroit's losing took its toll on him. Back in July 2017, he told reporters that he didn't feel as though the Lions would be competitive enough to make the grind worthwhile anymore:

"I was stuck in my contract with Detroit, and they told me they would not release my contract, so I would have to come back to them ... I didn't see a chance for them to win a Super Bowl at the time, and for the work that I was putting in, you know, it wasn't worth my time to keep on beating my head against the wall and not going anywhere.

"Definition of insanity."

Johnson told the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett in June 2016, however, that losing wasn't the only factor in his decision. The 6'5", 237-pound receiver said his body had grown "tired" of the NFL grind and that he was "fed up."

He also revealed to Rosenberg that a "super conservative" estimate would be to say he suffered nine concussions during his nine-year career.