CINCINNATI -- Let the debate ensue.

Now that it appears Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson may retire, capping a short, but illustrious, nine-year career, who should take his place as the NFL's best receiver?

Of course, first you have to believe Johnson was the league's top wide out the past few seasons. If you aren't convinced he was, take yourself and your laptop/tablet/mobile device to a quiet corner, pull up YouTube, type "Megatron highlights," and just watch. The rest of us will wait.

Certainly, Johnson had a string of dazzling plays throughout his NFL career. But he had the numbers, too. His career receptions (731), yards (11,619), touchdowns (83) and yards per game (86.1) all rank first in Lions history.

Does that make him a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer? It's tough to say. Perhaps if he played another couple of seasons, or had the fortune of playing for more playoff teams, maybe the question wouldn't be up for debate.

Regardless, if this is the end of the road for Johnson, he's leaving the league in capable hands. Antonio Brown, Julio Jones and A.J. Green are at the forefront of the position's next wave of superstars. Second-year players Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry appear to be the position's long-term future.

Of that quintet, which player currently is the best? Honestly, you can't go wrong picking any of them. But given their overall experience, Brown, Jones and Green probably deserve consideration as the NFL's best at this position.

Say what you will about Jones and Brown, but Green has exhibited a level of consistency (at this point in his career) that has only been matched in league history by Randy Moss. He and Moss are the only receivers to have 1,000 or more receiving yards in each of their first five seasons. Green has a chance to tie Moss' record of six 1,000-yard seasons in 2016.

Green also stacks up favorably when some other stats are put alongside those of Brown, Jones and Johnson in their first five seasons. He has more catches (415) than any of them had in that same stretch to start their careers. His 45 touchdowns also ranks second only to Johnson's 49.

If Green keeps up his current pace, by the end of his ninth season, he will have 81 career touchdowns, two short of Johnson. He'll also have 11,108 yards, some 600 shy of where Johnson finished. Both numbers would become Bengals records, outperforming marks previously set by Chad Johnson.

Much like Brown and Jones, Green has put up these statistics while playing with a bevy of other offensive weapons. Although Green was drafted fourth overall as the star receiver for Andy Dalton to throw to (Dalton was selected a round after Green in the 2011 draft), he's shared playmaking opportunities with Marvin Jones, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, Mohamed Sanu, Jerome Simpson, Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert during the past five years.

How can Green separate himself from the other elite wide outs in future seasons? By continuing to make plays in big scenarios like he did in the closing minutes of last month's wild-card playoff game against Brown's Steelers. Those can be his highlight-reel grabs. His go-ahead, 25-yard touchdown reception from AJ McCarron very nearly became an iconic play in team history. Had the Bengals held on for the win, it would have been.

The only way to get those plays? To keep leading his team back to the playoffs -- and to start winning games there. That's something Johnson couldn't do.