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Lions president says he's spoken to Calvin Johnson, will 'give him time'

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

The Detroit Lions aren't rushing Calvin Johnson into a decision on his future.

Team president Ron Wood told reporters Friday that he's spoken to the veteran wide receiver several times, most recently Wednesday. He declined to discuss the details of those conversations, but did say he has no intention of trying to sway Johnson to return for a 10th season.

"Right now I want him to come to his own conclusion and decide what he wants to do," Wood said, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. "I wouldn't want to try to convince him to play, if that's not what he wants to do. But obviously if he wants to play, we want him back.

"We're going to give him time to kind of go through all the decision processes, and hopefully come to the conclusion that's right for him. Whatever that is, we'll support it."

Injuries have taken a toll on Johnson in recent years, and he reportedly told his family and head coach Jim Caldwell that 2015 would be his last season.

Wood wouldn't confirm the report.

"He hasn't told us anything official," he said. "I mean, I met with Calvin at the end of the year. The statement that we released and the statement that he released is what we're still assuming is where his mind is right now, and nothing's changed."

While there's no exact timetable for Johnson to make a decision, the Lions would like some clarity on the situation by the time free agency starts in March.

"There's a point where we're going to want him to help us decide where we're going in the future," Wood said. "But we're not there yet. Certainly, as we get closer to free agency, that will become more important."

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