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Come Fan with UsSaturday, June 20, 2026

Calvin Johnson isn’t coming back to the NFL to save your team. But it’s a nice thought!

Of all the wacky trade rumors, this one gets an A for creativity.

ABC’s ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 23 Finale - Arrivals
ABC’s ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 23 Finale - Arrivals
Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Say this for the 2017 NFL trade deadline: At least the rumors haven’t been disappointing so far. We’ll be lucky if any of those rumors actually come to fruition, but at least teams are thinking big! But the wildest one I’ve seen so far involves Calvin Johnson, a player who is retired.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and follow-up reporting by his colleague Chris Mortensen, the Eagles and the Jaguars have both inquired with the Lions about trading for the Megatron’s rights, which the team still holds.

Why Megatron trade talk makes sense

Um, do you remember how amazing Calvin Johnson is? Even with the NFL’s obtuse catch rules stacked against him, he’s been one of the best in the game, ever. Every team in the league would be better off with him on their roster, no matter how stacked they are at receiver.

As for the two teams mentioned here, I’m a little surprised to see the Eagles on the list. They don’t have a lot of picks to work with, and are already pretty stacked on offense thanks to the offseason acquisition of Alshon Jeffery. Plus, if anything, they need tackle help with Jason Peters out for the season.

The Eagles’ interest is already being downplayed, too. Bleeding Green Nation has more on that.

Johnson would be a huge help for Blake Bortles. So much so that the Jaguars could get their passing game moving again if they had him in the lineup. Then again, he is still Blake Bortles. Anything that helps keep his roster spot secured any longer than necessary is a bad move for the Jags’ future.

Jacksonville has a legitimate claim to contender status, and Johnson would upgrade the receivers, especially after the team lost Allen Robinson in Week 1.

Hey, I’m just glad we live in a world now where the Jaguars are actually buyers at the deadline.

Why Johnson is not getting traded

Well, he is retired. He’s made it clear since he hung it up after the 2015 season that he has no interest in coming back.

Mortensen and Schefter said as much in their reporting, too. Still, being retired isn’t going to stop NFL teams from trying to maybe convince him to put the ol’ cleats back on and entice him with a potential Super Bowl run.

Grading the rumor

Oh, this one gets an A for effort. Fortune favors the bold, and for a general manager the idea of putting one of the game’s best receivers into his team’s jersey is tempting. Plus, Johnson’s only 32.

However, this rumor gets an F for plausibility. It’s nice to think about, but Megatron isn’t walking through that door to save anyone’s team this season.


NFL trades that should happen before the deadline

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