NFC North defenses won’t mind Calvin Johnson's absence next season, but Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is still bummed to see “Megatron” walk away from the game.
“I hope he don’t (retire)," Peterson said at the NFL Honors show at Super Bowl 50 over the weekend (via the Detroit Free Press). "It’d be sad to see him go with so much potential left, so much left in the tank. …
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"You’ll just miss what he do. He’s an outstanding player. Can’t name too many guys that make the type of plays that he makes. So it’ll be sad to see that go."
Johnson was the second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft; Peterson went five picks later. They have been top players at their positions since coming into the league. But at 30 years old, both are facing their football mortality.
Peterson contemplated retirement in 2014 while serving a 15-game suspension, and Johnson decided to step away last month after catching 88 balls for 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns in the 2015 season.
Though some players from the first round of the same 2007 draft are still playing at a high level (like Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis), others such as linebackers Jon Beason and Patrick Willis and running back Marshawn Lynch have retired.