5 reasons Calvin Johnson is a first ballot Hall of Famer

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the most prestigious honor a player can receive after his career is finished. Calvin Johnson is considering retirement currently, which was a very surprising and shocking statement after Johnson released it. When Johnson said he was considering retiring, the debates began to swirl. Is Calvin Johnson a first ballot Hall of Famer if he were to retire right now? Does he have the statistics it takes to get it?

Johnson currently sits 27th among the all-time receiving yards list, just shy of Hall of Famer Michael Irvin who ranks 25th on the list. Johnson has the single-season record for most receiving yards, previously owned by the great Jerry Rice, and he was the quickest wide receiver to ever reach the 10,000 receiving yard milestone.

Johnson has done all of this while playing with mediocre quarterbacks, when the greatest receivers ever, like Jerry Rice, had Hall of Fame quarterbacks throwing them the football. Johnson’s ability to impact the game and its outcome is synonymous with most every enshrined player. Johnson has been able to be an impact player on his team, even though they have only had two winning seasons in the past nine years.

Perhaps the biggest statistic in favor of Johnson is the fact that he holds a record over eight current wide receivers that are already enshrined in Canton, Ohio, which could be the tipping point for his induction as a first ballot Hall of Famer. But why specifically does he belong in the Hall of Fame and why will he be a first balloter?

Next: 5. He has been great despite horrible teams