Is Calvin Johnson A Hall Of Famer?

Is Calvin Johnson A Hall Of Famer?

This week, what many anticipated would happen was finally made official as Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL. Johnson was one of the best receivers in the NFL when he announced his retirement, with many saying that he is one of the best wide receivers in league history as well. That begs the question as his career has come to an end, is Calvin Johnson a wide receiver worthy of the NFL’s hall of fame?

Calvin Johnson’s Amazing Career

Calvin Johnson will be remembered for a long time for his ability to make a Detroit Lions offense that wasn’t great in a number of areas into one capable of putting up points in large numbers year in and year out. Detroit never had a consistently good offensive line while Johnson was there, and their running backs were among the worst in the NFL during that time period, but the team was able to score because Johnson was able to make catches and attract enough attention from defenders to open up space for the other receivers on the team.

Of course, Calvin Johnson will now draw comparisons to another former Detroit Lions player who retired in his prime, Barry Sanders. Sanders was one of the best running backs in the NFL when he decided to retire, with Johnson joining him in what’s becoming a sad line of Lions players leaving the sport and the team while it still seems like they had plenty of talent left to offer. Of course, Barry Sanders still made it into the NFL hall of fame, so there is hope for Calvin Johnson to do the same.

Calvin Johnson’s Short Career

Despite all of the positives of Calvin Johnson’s great NFL career, his retirement from the Detroit Lions may end up costing him a place in the league’s hall of fame. While he did play nine very productive seasons in the NFL, Johnson’s numbers may not have reached a point to where he is worthy of induction into the hall of fame, simply because he didn’t rack up enough years to accumulate the big numbers that other legends at his position did.

What is so impressive, and also maddening, is that Johnson racked up the third most receiving yards in the first nine years of an NFL player’s career, trailing just Torry Holt and Jerry Rice in that department. It stands to reason that if he had continued to play, Johnson could have went down as one of the most prolific wide receivers of all time. Instead, he’ll have to hope that career numbers that don’t match up with the all-time greats are good enough to get him into the hall of fame.

When all is said and done, Calvin Johnson should be inducted into the NFL’s hall of fame, as he was truly the best at what he did during the time in which he did it. And while everyone would have liked to have seen more of him on the field, a shortened career shouldn’t obscure that fact.

By: Jason M.Sanin