The announcement in January that Calvin Johnson was considering retirement hit many outside the Detroit Lions' locker room like a manifested anvil in a Looney Tunes film.
Some within the locker room, like quarterback Matthew Stafford, said at the time he knew Megatron had been considering retiring throughout the 2015 season, a move the receiver ultimately went through with last month.
Apparently, some within Johnson's own receivers room didn't believe Megatron was seriously considering walking away.
"Every time he mentioned it to me, I kind of took it as a joke," wideout Corey Fullertold MLive.com on Thursday night. "Like, 'Yeah, whatever. No you're not.' It wasn't until close the end of the season, when he said it -- he said it like two or three times -- like, 'Are you for real?'
"Then after the season, when it came out, it was for real."
Johnson's decision to retire had a ripple effect on the rest of the receiving corps. The Lions signed Marvin Jones and could add another red-zone target early in the draft. Megatron won't just be missed on the field.
"It still hasn't hit me all the way yet," Fuller said. "I'm definitely going to miss him. Miss the jokes. Miss his presence."
With Johnson gone, Fuller could be one of the players Detroit attempts to utilize as a deep threat, something they've lacked outside Megatron the last several seasons. Fuller has just 18 catches in two NFL seasons and lacked consistency when given a chance to play third fiddle in the Lions' passing game.
