NFL

Here’s What You Need To Know About Calvin Johnson’s Megadeal, Which Is The Richest In NFL History

Calvin Johnson did some amazing things for the Detroit Lions last season (96 catches, 1,681 yards, 16 touchdowns), so the Lions thought it was time he reaped amazing rewards: a eight-year, $132 million contract that doubles as the richest deal in NFL history. It’s big for the Lions as well as the NFL as a whole, and the following is an attempt to answer a few of the natural questions one might have about a deal of this size.

Why pay him this much?

Because Calvin Johnson is awesome. He’s huge (6-5, 236). He’s fast. There’s a reason he’s called “Megatron.” We posted his numbers from last season above (and those don’t include his 12-catch, 211-yard, two-touchdown playoff performance against the Saints) – clearly the production is there. You can see with your own eyes what he can do here. Plus, he’s young – he’s only 26, and he won’t turn 27 until the 2012 season is already underway. The seven years the Lions will get out of Johnson will double as his prime years. As much as one player can be worth that money, Johnson is.

How much of the money is guaranteed?

$60 million. Makes the $132 million figure seem a little less imposing, but all big NFL contracts are like that – and still, $60 million’s a nice chunk of change in its own right. As a comparison, the $120 million deal Larry Fitzgerald signed with the Cardinals last year guaranteed “near $50 million.” And as Pro Football Talk adds, “Guarantees can be less than advertised,” so maybe even the $60 million figure is a bit of a mirage. Regardless, we’re talking a lot of money here.

Is this a good deal?

For both sides, yes. For Calvin Johnson, he gets a giant contract. However much is actually guaranteed, he seems to have maximized the money he could have made. If he likes playing in Detroit – and considering that he and the Lions are pretty much the toast of the town after having turned the franchise around and actually made the playoffs for the first time in years, and he has an excellent quarterback in Matthew Stafford, we’re not sure why he wouldn’t – it’s a no-brainer.

Same for the Lions. They locked up the guy who was the NFL’s best receiver last year, and they have no reason to believe he won’t continue playing at that level for many years to come. 2011 was Johnson’s best year, but it was hardly his first good one – if not for missing a couple games in 2009, he’d be working on four straight 1,000-yard seasons, so there’s no reason to worry about him being a one-year wonder. The fact that he’s regarded as one of the hardest-working players on the Lions means there’s even less to worry about.

In fact, Johnson provides so little to worry about that the only real worry was losing him. The Lions had to get this deal done. They got it done. They paid a lot, but with a player like Calvin Johnson, you have to. When a player comes into the NFL with enormous potential after tearing up college defenses and goes on to fully reach that potential at the highest level, it’s something to behold. Johnson’s done it. And despite the cost, there was no excuse for him to keep doing it in any other uniform but the one he’s already wearing.

Getty photo, by Ronald Martinez