Calvin Johnson's decision to walk away from football just nine seasons into a Hall of Fame career seems to have been about more than just the wear and tear on his body.
Effectively confirming a not-so-rosy relationship with his now-former team, the retired receiver revealed in an appearance this week at the Italian Bowl in Vicenza, Italy that a lack of confidence in the Detroit Lions was a reason he elected to hang up his cleats last year.
Johnson started on the topic by saying that continuing to play in Detroit after the 2015 season "just wasn't for me anymore," according to Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit.
Pressed further on the issue, he admitted to giving some thought to the idea of suiting up elsewhere before adding that the Lions weren't going to allow him to do so.
"I thought about it," Johnson said. "I was stuck in my contract in Detroit, and they told me they would not release my contract so I would have to come back to them."
After making just two playoff appearances in nine years, a frustrating stretch that included a winless season and an overall record of 54-90, the Lions' losing ways may have gotten to Johnson.
"I didn't see a chance for them to win a Super Bowl at the time, and for the work I was putting in, it wasn't worth my time to keep on beating my head against the wall and not going anywhere."
Johnson's most recent comments mark the second occasion this offseason in which he's been critical of the Lions organization. While he wouldn't disclose the issues between the two sides, the 31-year-old told Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press in May that he wasn't happy with the way he was treated after his retirement.
One of the most dominant players of his generation, Johnson finished his Lions career as the franchise's all-time leader in receptions (731), receiving yards (11,619), and touchdown catches (83).