Calvin Johnson could play for Oakland Raiders in 2017

Wild Card Playoffs - Detroit Lions v Dallas Cowboys

The after signing Marshawn Lynch, the Oakland Raiders can make another huge acquisition this offseason. It raised eyebrows when retired Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson was seen at their facility. He was a guest to tudor Raiders WRs at offseason workouts because he knows OC Todd Downing’s offense.

Left tackle Donald Penn couldn’t help himself, trying to recruit Johnson to try to get a trade to Oakland. Johnson thwarted the attempt, explaining to Penn that the Lions would never let him go. But he has since told the Italian Bowl media that Derek Carr is on a short list of QBs he wants to play with.

This is significant because there is actually a chance Johnson can get out of contract in Detroit. The answer is to simply show up to the Lions’ camp and they would have little choice but to release him. The Lions now have a playoff-caliber team and only $5.75 million in cap space according to Over the Cap.

Of course, the Lions could cut some other players in order to make room but that’s a bad idea. The other players will get signed by other teams and Johnson could retire again, leaving them with nothing. That illustration was pretty dramatic but it’s to show that it’s actually possible for Johnson.

After watching Lynch’s situation play out over a year, you can’t convince me that it wasn’t planned. So of course, Johnson and-or the Raiders have to have at least thought about the possibilities. The two sides joining forces would lead to endless possibilities for the Raiders in 20107.

And that isn’t as much of a long shot as you think!

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