The Detroit Free Press, citing an unidentified source and NFLPA records, reported that Johnson returned $3.2 million of a signing bonus from his last contract before the start of the 2016 NFL year.
Johnson reportedly began negotiating a payback shortly after making public comments saying he was considering retirement.
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The Lions are still $26 million under the cap after completing several deals — among them signing Marvin Jones and Haloti Ngata — after Johnson’s payback freed up an additional $11 million for 2016.
Johnson, 30, likely isn’t sweating the money after earning more than $100 million with the Lions, not including endorsements.
