Indianapolis – And the wait continues.
Lions general manager Bob Quinn has spoken to Calvin Johnson, but told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine Wednesday that Johnson still hasn't informed him of his decision to retire or return.
"I did speak to Calvin," Quinn said. "I'm not going to go into any details about what we talked about and there is no update on his status right now."
Quinn said he doesn't have any expectations either way and that the team is not going to impose a deadline on Johnson.
"We had a good conversation," Quinn said. "He didn't tell me if he's leaning one way or the other. We're giving him time to make that decision."
Johnson's cap hit this season is $24 million. The team would save $11.1 million of that if he does retire, which is the difference between having $30-plus million to play with under the cap and $40-plus million.
Teams can begin speaking with free agents March 7, and free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. on March 9.
"It obviously affects it because of the salary that he has," Quinn said of the impact Johnson's decision or non-decision will have on free agency. "That's something that's going to take into effect what kind of plans we can do.
"How flexible we can be with the type of players that we're going to look forward to adding in free agency. That's all part of the puzzle. My job is to put that puzzle together."
The Lions haven't talked about Johnson's contract internally, according to Quinn. That includes any discussions about a possible pay cut for Johnson.
The Lions have adopted a strategy to give their star receiver the time he needs to make a decision, and there's no deadline.
"That's just the way we're going to go about business in terms of what Calvin's decision may or may not be," Quinn said.
