"General manager Martin Mayhew has eased the panic that Calvin Johnson's contract might be too rich for the Detroit Lions to keep their superstar receiver.

Johnson will be in the last year of his contract during the 2012 season, with a base salary of $14 million and a salary-cap number of more than $20 million.

There has been media speculation that the impact of Johnson's contract on the team's salary cap for 2012 might be so great that the Lions would consider parting ways with him unless they can renegotiate his contract.

Mayhew joked about Johnson's status at the start of his annual post-season meeting with Lions beat writers Thursday morning at the team's headquarters.

"You think he's pretty good?" Mayhew said. "We should keep him around?""