Report: Calvin Johnson repaid part of bonus before retiring

Calvin Johnson paid back a small portion of his signing bonus to the Detroit Lions before retiring, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Johnson retired with one year of proration left on the $16-million signing bonus he received when he inked his last contract four years ago. The Lions could have attempted to recoup 20 percent of that amount, or $3.2 million.

They didn't. Upon Johnson's retirement, the Lions announced that any outstanding financial obligations related to Johnson's contract "were settled to the satisfaction of the parties."

Johnson paid back $320,000, or 10 percent of the $3.2 million, according to Birkett.

It's a smoother resolution than when Barry Sanders retired in 1999. At that time, the Lions filed a grievance to go after Sanders' signing bonus and won a ruling by an arbitrator. Sanders had to pay back more than $5.5 million in installments.