Lions' Fuller thought Calvin Johnson was joking about retirement

Detroit Lions wide receiver Corey Fuller found out early last season about Calvin Johnson's retirement plans, but thought the whole thing was a joke.

It wasn't until Johnson officially stepped away from the NFL in March that Fuller realized he had been telling the truth.

"Every time he mentioned it to me, I kind of took it as a joke," Fuller told Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. "Like, 'Yeah, whatever. No you're not.' It wasn't until close the end of the season, when he said it - he said it like two or three times - like, 'Are you for real?'

"Then after the season, when it came out, it was for real."

Johnson was one of several big-name players to retire this offseason at the age of 30 or younger, including Marshawn Lynch and Jerod Mayo. Fuller, who referred to himself as Johnson's "annoying little brother" during their three seasons together in Detroit, still hasn't completely come to terms with it.

"It still hasn't hit me all the way yet," Fuller said. "I'm definitely going to miss him. Miss the jokes. Miss his presence."