INDIANAPOLIS – Even as he played all 16 games last year for the first time since 2012, Calvin Johnson didn't hide the fact that he was considering retirement from family members and close friends.
Johnson barely practiced late last season, and he spent some fall days at his suburban Detroit home wearing a protective boot on his foot and a bag of ice on his knee.
On one occasion, after Johnson told people he wasn't sure if he wanted to play a 10th NFL season, someone close to him asked if playing in his hometown for the Atlanta Falcons would make a difference.