Detroit Lions to honor franchise legend during the 2024 NFL season

In what was no doubt the easiest decision the Detroit Lions have made all year long, the team has decided to honor franchise legend and Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson in 2024.

The team announced on Monday that Johnson will be inducted into the Pride of the Lions during halftime of Detroit's Week 4 game against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, Sept. 30, at Ford Field.

Johnson was surprised with the news during the second annual Calvin Johnson Jr. Foundation Celebrity Golf Outing at Detroit Golf Club on July 15.

"We are thrilled to add Calvin Johnson Jr. to the Pride of the Lions," President and CEO Rod Wood said. "His commitment on the field and to the city of Detroit are legendary and this is a well-deserved honor. We are proud that he will be forever memorialized inside Ford Field and as a Detroit Lion."

Johnson becomes the 20th member of the exclusive club. Offensive tackle Lomas Brown was the most recent addition before Johnson in 2023.

A first-round pick of the Lions in 2007, Johnson was the best wide receiver of his generation. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro over nine seasons and tallied 1,000 yards or more in all but two years. He still holds the record for the most receiving yards in a single campaign with 1,964.

Following his impressive career, Johnson was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.