Lions WR Calvin Johnson said he'd offer congratulations if record broken

ByMichael Rothstein ESPN logo
Sunday, November 29, 2015

ALLEN PARK, Mich. --Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson said he would offer congratulations to either Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown or Atlanta's Julio Jones if either one breaks his single-season receiving record in 2015.

Entering Sunday, both were on pace to finish within 150 yards of Johnson's mark of 1,964 yards set during the 2012 season.

"If one of them breaks it, I will do the same thing Jerry [Rice] did," Johnson said. "It's a big congratulations. It's a big task to take on, and that means you carried the load for your team that year to do something like that."

Johnson broke Rice's mark of 1,848 yards on his way to setting the single-season record.

Johnson, Rice, Isaac Bruce (1,781), Charley Hennigan (1,746) and Marvin Harrison (1,722) are the only receivers in NFL history to break 1,700 yards. Both Brown and Jones are on pace to join that club this season.

Johnson said neither Brown nor Jones has reached out to him for advice on how to handle chasing the record, adding that he makes a point of watching them when he can.

"When we're not playing, if they're playing on like a Thursday or a Monday, I will check them out," Johnson said. "But other than that, I have so much going on here, I don't have a lot of time."

Johnson said Sunday that setting the record was one of the most memorable moments of his career.

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