The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... The Scouting Combine is a bastion of rumors and hot takes. Here's one that was making the rounds there over the past few days. Some believe Johnson is dragging his feet with the Lions so that the Lions will cut him.
Diehards Line:
As PFT's Mike Florio, if Megatron retires as a Lions and later unretires, the Lions will control his rights. If he retires as a free agent and later unretires, he can sign with any team he wants, unimpeded by the Lions. Perhaps Johnson, if he walks away, will want to return in 2016 or 2017 with another team in the division. If he’s released, he can do that. Also, if Johnson is cut, the Lions have no basis for seeking repayment of $3.2 million in signing bonus money. With Johnson at $24 million for 2016, the Lions need Johnson to walk away — if he doesn’t, they could be sending him packing on March 9. And then, if he wants, he can later make a comeback with the Packers, Vikings, Bears, or anyone else he wants.