NFL trade rumors: Calvin Johnson misses practice but that doesn't mean he's being traded

It was less than a week ago that General Manager Martin Mayhew declared the Detroit Lions would be buyers at the trade deadline. However, most speculation has the Lions as big sellers and Calvin Johnson as one of those tradable pieces.

Those rumors heated up when Johnson was completely missing from the open portion of practice on Tuesday. This led to speculation that Johnson may be getting traded, explaining his absence.

However, this is a huge leap in logic for several reason. First, Johnson left Sunday's game with an ankle injury. With the Lions' next game two weeks away, there is no logical reason to hurry Calvin back into practice.

Also, Johnson was given a day off of practice last week, despite not suffering from an injury. Johnson is at a point in his career in which he will get days off here and there to stay fresh. His absence in practice during a bye week is no cause for alarm.

Finally, there's the fact that Johnson was available to the media in the locker room after practice. If Calvin was truly in the midst of being traded, he would likely not be present for the media until an announcement was made.

The NFL trade deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.