It was widely reported on Wednesday that Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson is strongly considering retiring from the National Football League after nine seasons in the league. 

Those reports were made possible by a statement Johnson himself made through the Lions organization on Wednesday: 

“Like many players at this stage of their career, I am currently evaluating options for my future," Johnson said. "I would expect to have a decision on this matter in the not-so-distant future.”

ESPN's Ed Werder later reported that Johnson had told his mother that he wasn't sure he wanted to play anymore: 

What would a potential Johnson retirement mean for the Lions? That's the million-dollar question here. 

With six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and the most receiving yards in the NFL during that span, Megatron has obviously been the most productive receiver of his generation. 

Though, there has been a downtick in production over the past couple seasons. He put up 71 receptions for 1,077 yards and eight touchdowns back in 2014. That season also saw Johnson catch 55 percent of the passes thrown in his direction. 

This past regular season saw Johnson tally 88 receptions for 1,215 yards and nine scores. All numbers, including his catch rate of 59 percent, improved from the previous season. 

This is still a far cary from a three-year span (2011-13) that saw Johnson average 100 receptions, 1,712 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 60 percent of the passes thrown his way. 

Representing one-quarter of Matthew Stafford's targets over the past five seasons, a retirement decision from Johnson would leave a huge void in Detroit's passing game. 

Up until the 2014 season, that would have represented a knockout blow for the Lions offense. 

However, the addition of Golden Tate prior to last season has to be taken into account here. In two seasons with the Lions, Tate has caught 189 passes for over 2,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's also brought in 70 percent of the passes thrown in his direction. 

As you can tell above, Tate has been more of a possession receiver than Johnson. This seems to indicate that Detroit would have to find a down-field threat should Johnson retire. 

Outside of that, the addition of Eric Ebron seemed to emerge when healthy during his sophomore campaign. He tallied 47 receptions for over 500 yards and five touchdowns after a disappointing rookie season saw him gain about half the reception and yardage totals. 

These are two skill-position players that would play absolutely huge roles if Johnson were to retire. 

Just some food for thought. The longer Johnson goes without coming up with a decision, the more valuable Ebron and Tate become to the Lions offense. And in turn, the more valuable they become from a fantasy aspect.