NFL Notes: Calvin Johnson, Tom Coughlin, Chargers, & Falcons

Calvin Johnson

Lions president Rod Wood told reporters on Friday that their plan is to give WR Calvin Johnson, who is considering retirement, time to make a decision as to whether he’ll be back.

“Right now I want him to come to his own conclusion and decide what he wants to do,” Wood said, via 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.”

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk mentions that the Lions will want to know what Johnson’s plans are before March 9, as they’ll need to figure out what they’re going to do with his $24 million cap figure.

Tom Coughlin

Giants owner John Mara said he plans to speak with former HC Tom Coughlin about a new position with the organization.

“He’s been away, but I do plan on talking [to Coughlin],” Mara said Friday after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s Super Bowl media briefing, via Newsday. “There’s still hope.”

Chargers

Eric Williams of ESPN reports that Chargers owner Dean Spanos, San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer and county supervisor Ron Roberts are expected to meet early next week to discuss a stadium project in San Diego.

They recently met, but there is obviously a great deal of work towards finding a way for the Chargers to remain in San Diego long-term.

Williams writes that they will need to come up with a fair deal in the next four-to-eight weeks so that it can be placed on a ballot for voters to weigh on later in the year.

Falcons

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he has nothing but respect for veteran WR Roddy White before adding he won’t be involved in a decision to cut or retain him.

“I have nothing but respect for Roddy and I love Roddy,” Blank said, via ESPN.com. “I love what he’s done for our franchise. And I love the type of leadership that he has. And I love his role as a father.

“When it comes to where Roddy is in the future, that’s where the owner doesn’t get involved. That’s a decision that will be made by the coach, the coaching staff and personnel. When they’re ready to do it, they’ll do it. They’re in the process of going through the roster evaluation now. They’ve had some discussions. They’ll have more discussions.“