Calvin Johnson sends an interestingly timed message to the Lions

Calvin Johnson had obviously been waiting for the proper opportunity all along.

Johnson, a former Detroit Lions franchise great, went viral for a message he delivered to the squad on Sunday. Johnson, a six-time Pro Bowl receiver, was selected a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in January 2021 (he was admitted to the Hall in February of that same year). The Lions congratulated Johnson from their official page on X (formerly known as Twitter) at the time.

Interestingly, Johnson did not officially acknowledge the tweet until Sunday, nearly three years later.

‘Much appreciated,’ Johnson wrote. “Many thanks for your unwavering support!” “I adore my city!”

What was the significance of the timing, you might wonder? With a 30-24 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the Lions officially clinched the NFC North. It is Detroit’s first division title since 1993, and it has left many current players overcome with emotion.

From 2007 to 2015, Johnson spent his entire NFL career with the Detroit Lions. However, he departed unexpectedly at the age of 30 and has had a long-standing spat with the Lions, allegedly over the team requiring him to pay back a portion of his signing money after he walked away. More on their feud may be found here.

Johnson withheld his comment for so long because he either didn’t want to jinx anything for his previous team or he was channeling Alec Baldwin’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” energy of needing Detroit to win before acknowledging them again. Whatever the situation may be, the Lions appear to have regained Megatron’s favor.