The best wide receiver in the NFL–sorry Larry Fitzgerald and whoever else you might want to name; the answer is Megatron–just signed a contract extension worthy of such athletically-talented freak of a football player. In fact, Johnson’s contract was so large, some are (jokingly) suggesting that Johnson might be the richest person in all of Detroit now, making more than the rest of the population, combined.
According to various sources, Johnson’s new contract is worth $132 million, with $60 million guaranteed. In the immortal words of Super Troopers‘ Officer Ramathorn, “that’s a lot of hooch!” For those who may be wondering if any professional athlete is worth that much money, allow Pro Football Talk to weigh in:
…as staggering as the numbers look, Johnson is worth it. He’s only 26 years old and coming off a phenomenal season in which he caught 96 passes for 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns, then turned in a brilliant performance in the playoff loss to the Saints. And Johnson is known as a consummate professional, hard worker and good teammate who doesn’t get in trouble off the field.
And then there’s the concept of how much money Johnson generates for his team (a lot) and for the city as a whole (a little harder to quantify, but considering the stadium attendance numbers, it’s safe to assume Lions fans who can’t go to Ford Field are going to bars and restaurants to enjoy the games). All things considered, perhaps Detroit underpaid for Johnson’s services.
Naturally, Twitter is a’twitter with reaction to Johnson’s signing. Considering the popularity of sports conversation on Twitter, is this a surprise anymore? Before the reaction, however, here’s an example of just how incredibly talented Johnson really is:
As for Twitter, the reaction was positive, if not obsessed with the amount of Johnson’s contract extension:
Calvin Johnson is now making more than virtually every person in the city of Detroit – combined.
Wow CALVIN JOHNSON is PAID!!!!!
#Megatron just hit BANK. lol
Naturally, someone always shows up to throw some hate on the festivities in an effort to either sound edgy or prophetic:
#megatron get injured this year….big contract gonna either produce an All Star season or a busted season
watchBut overall, there’s a lot of love for Johnson and his goldmine-striking contract:
Calvin Johnson not only talented but often described as hardest working player on team, along with QB Mat Stafford. $60 mill guaranteed.
#Megatron is the best thing they’ve had since @BarrySanders
Calvin Johnson just received the biggest deal in NFL history. They realize thatHere’s another example of Johnson’s God-like football talents, courtesy of a video simply called “The Catch.” It was taken when Johnson was still in college at Georgia Tech:
And a music video to celebrate all that new money:
Calvin Johnson: King of Detroit.