Calvin Johnson: “I’m Not Coming Back, Man”
Former Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson is enjoying life after football and he won’t be coming back. When asked about the possibility of eventually returning to the NFL, Johnson was clear in his response. 
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“I’m not coming back, man,” Johnson told ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein. “Look, man. I got stuff that’s going to hurt for the rest of my life. I got a finger that’s literally bone-on-bone. This bad boy, it gets smaller. The more and more I do, it grinds bone-on-bone. Literally from last year, I went this year to get another X-Ray and this is after I retired, I knew it was messed up but I didn’t know to what degree because it was hurt.”
In addition to his mangled finger, Johnson cited his injured ankle, knees, and shoulder as reasons why football is no longer a good idea for him. Besides that, Megatron says he’s happy in retirement and he likes watching football as a spectator on Sundays. He admits that he wishes he could have left the game with a Super Bowl ring, but he won’t return to try and chase that goal.
The Lions, without Johnson, are 9-5 and leading the NFC North with two games to go.
Jon Gruden: “I Have No Intention Of Coaching”
Hollywood loves a good comeback story and no coaching comeback would be more captivating than Jon Gruden returning to the sidelines for the Rams. He is reportedly the “focal point” of the Rams’ search, but for his part, Gruden claims that he isn’t interested in coaching right now. 
“I’ve said it a million times. I’m very happy with what I’m doing. I have no intention of coaching,” Gruden said in an interview with ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike (video link).
Gruden added that he still feels “close to the fire” as the color commentator for Monday Night Football. Of course, his comments should be taken with a grain of kosher salt. It’s hard to imagine that there isn’t a big part of Gruden that wants to try and win another Super Bowl. With the Rams, Gruden would have several intriguing pieces to work with, including running back Todd Gurley, No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, defensive end Robert Quinn, and defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
If the Rams want to land Gruden, they may have to give him final say over personnel. Reportedly, Los Angeles is open to granting that power to their next head coach.
Giants Have Draft Pick Downgraded
The league has ruled on the Giants’ walkie-talkie use from Week 14. The Giants will have their fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft moved to the end of the round, following any compensatory picks, as Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. In addition, the team has been fined $150K and coach Ben McAdoo has been fined $50K. 
During Sunday’s game against Dallas, the Giants’ “coach-to-quarterback system” malfunctioned, preventing Eli Manning from receiving play calls from McAdoo. To resolve the issue, McAdoo used a walkie-talkie to communicate to Manning, which is against NFL rules. The league forbids coaches from communicating with quarterbacks when there are less than 15 seconds remaining on the play clock, and the walkie-talkie prevented the NFL from monitoring the situation. Coaches are also not allowed to hold two-way radios during a game.
After the game, the Cowboys asked the league to investigate. Their petition to the principal’s office worked and the Giants could now fall several spots in the fourth round of the draft.
Bills Notes: McCoy, Roman, Ryan
Did Bills players help influence the team’s decision to push out former offensive coordinator Greg Roman? LeSean McCoy seemed to be hinting at that yesterday. “They actually listen to the players. The whole thing with [Roman], they were very involved, which was cool,” McCoy said (Twitter link via Tom Martin of News 4).
Here’s more from Buffalo:
- People within the Bills front office feel it’s unfair that Rex Ryan is on the hot seat while GM Doug Whaley is reportedly safe this offseason, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The Bills’ aggressive trade up for Sammy Watkins, the ill-advised extension for Marcell Dareus, and the team’s failure to identify a franchise quarterback have left the Bills with significant holes, they argue. Ryan is in his second season in Buffalo.
- Will the Bills renegotiate Tyrod Taylor‘s contract this year to keep him? Mike Rodak of ESPN.com explains that Taylor would have leverage against such a move and wouldn’t be inclined to go along with it. If he reaches free agency, there will be multiple teams searching for a quarterback and it would probably behoove him to explore those options instead of returning to Buffalo on a discount.
- Over the weekend, one report indicated that the Bills are preparing to move on from Ryan.
Eagles Activate Lane Johnson
The Eagles announced that Lane Johnson has been formally activated for this week. To clear a spot, running back Kenjon Barner was placed on the injured reserve list. 
Johnson, of course, was hit with a 10-game suspension earlier this year and his appeal was unsuccessful. The tackle maintained that he was not given proper information from the NFL or NFLPA regarding banned substances and he took action against both. Ultimately, he would up serving a lengthy suspension as a repeat PED offender. He’ll be back in action for the final two games of the year, but these, unfortunately, are largely meaningless games for Philly. Next up for the Eagles is an opportunity to block the Giants from potentially taking the division.
Barner, meanwhile, is being shut down after suffering a hamstring injury.
2017 NFL Draft Order Through Week 15
With just two weeks to go, the NFL playoff picture is starting to get clearer. The Cowboys, Seahawks, Patriots, and Raiders have already punched their playoff tickets while the Chiefs, Steelers, Falcons, and Giants are considered near locks by the forecasts at Five Thirty Eight.
Here’s a look at where the draft order stands for the teams not currently slated to make the cut (Note: Ties are broken by strength of schedule):
1. Browns 0-14
2. 49ers 1-13
3. Jaguars 2-12
4. Bears 3-11
5. Jets 4-10
6. Rams (pick belongs to Titans) 4-10
7. Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 5-9
8. Chargers 5-9
9. Cardinals 5-8-1
10. Bengals 5-8-1
11. Panthers 6-8
12. Saints 6-8
13. Bills 7-7
14. Colts 7-7
15. Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-7
16. Redskins 7-6-1
17. Titans 8-6
17. Ravens 8-6 (Note: The Titans and Ravens are currently knotted up in terms of both record and strength of schedule. In all statistical likelihood, the SOS logjam will be broken by the end of the season.)
19. Texans 8-6
20. Buccaneers 8-6
Chargers HC Mike McCoy: No Extension Offer
In January, the Chargers made sure that Mike McCoy would not be a lame duck coach by giving him a one-year extension to take him through the 2017 season. In the midst of a disappointing year, the coach confirmed that he has yet to receive another extension, as Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego writes. 
The Chargers are now 5-9 on the year and they’ll finish with their second straight losing season. In his four years at the helm, the Bolts are just 27-35. The Chargers made it to the AFC Divisional round under McCoy in 2013, but they have not returned to the playoffs since. In a “What have you done for me lately?” league, patience is wearing thin with McCoy. The Chargers are unwilling to commit to him beyond 2017 and it’s not necessarily guaranteed that he’ll keep his job this offseason, either.
Already, we have two coaching vacancies in the league. Both the Rams and Jaguars will be seeking new coaches in the New Year. The Chargers, in theory, could join that group.
Ladarius Green In Concussion Protocol
Steelers tight end Ladarius Green is in the league’s concussion protocol, the team announced. He has not been formally ruled out for Week 16, but this isn’t a good sign for Green considering his history with head injuries. 
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Green suffered two apparent concussions in two weeks in 2015, but he later claimed that his headaches around that time stemmed from sinus issues. He also had a concussion in 2014. There were reports this year that he was considering retirement because of the concussions, but he denied those claims.
Green, 26, has appeared in only six games for the Steelers after inking a four-year, $20MM deal in free agency. He has tremendous potential, but one has to wonder what this latest concussion means for him in the long term.
On the season, Green has caught 18 of 34 targets for 304 yards and one touchdown.
Saints Place Stephone Anthony On IR
The Saints have placed linebacker Stephone Anthony on injured reserve with a knee injury. The move will create a spot for wide receiver Corey Fuller, who was promoted from the practice squad on Monday. 
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Anthony was widely graded as a second round talent in 2015, but the Saints took him late in the first round after he impressed in workouts. Unfortunately, he hasn’t rewarded the Saints’ faith in him over the last two years. This year, the Saints hoped to jumpstart Anthony by moving him from middle linebacker to strongside, but he didn’t do much in his limited time on the field. He recently had an opportunity for playing time when was hurt, but he was unable to capitalize as Sean Payton chastised him for his issues with playbook retention.
At 6-8, the Saints are not technically out of the playoff picture, but they have less than a 1% chance of making the postseason.
Falcons Sign S Dashon Goldson
Safety Dashon Goldson is back in Atlanta. The Falcons announced that they have signed the veteran in the wake of multiple injuries at the position. 
Safety Kemal Ishmael was placed on IR last week after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Meanwhile, safety Robenson Therezie has been dealing with an ankle injury. The Falcons needed safety help in a jiff and Goldson is familiar with the playbook. Goldson auditioned for the Falcons yesterday and apparently performed better than defensive backs Earl Wolff and Floyd Raven.
Goldson has been out of work since the Falcons cut him two months ago. The 32-year-old signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Falcons this offseason, though only $250K of that sum was guaranteed. In his first Atlanta stint, he did not record an official statistic across four games. At this point, it doesn’t seem like Goldson will be able to reprise his Pro Bowl form. However, he could be a valuable fill-in for the Falcons as they look to lock down the NFC South.