Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson

More than a postgame hug? Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) hugs receiver Calvin Johnson (81) after what might have been their final game together.

(AP Photo)

CHICAGO -- Calvin Johnson has played 87 games with Matthew Stafford. And man have there been some highlights.

There was the time Johnson became the leading receiver in Detroit Lions history. The time he broke Jerry Rice's single-season receiving record.

The time he pirouetted between three defenders against Cincinnati a couple years ago to snare one of the best catches you, or anyone, will ever see.

He's smashed records. He's defied gravity. And now, possibly, those days are over.

A reality even Johnson has come to acknowledge -- which is what made Sunday's 24-20 win against the Chicago Bears so memorable.

Because after a long, difficult season -- one that saw Johnson's production dip, his usage questioned, his ankle wobble -- Calvin Johnson provided a vintage performance.

He caught 10 passes for a game-high 137 yards one beautiful 36-yard touchdown along the left sideline. Johnson kept the ball, too, a sign he knows of its possible significance.

"You never know (if that's the last one)," he said. "But if it is, though, you want to go out like that."

There wasn't much special about Johnson's touchdown, other than the God-given ability he used to torch poor Tracy Porter. He found himself in single coverage, Stafford identified it early and they connected for the relatively easy score.

Relatively easy, of course, if you can outrun defensive backs at 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds.

"(The) touchdown catch was a thing of beauty," coach Jim Caldwell said. "It was like Calvin. Ball out in front of him, went to go get it, laid out to get it and took it in. Just a lot of great things. He's tremendous all the way around."

Johnson can still play football, and do so well. His 1,214 yards this season -- 10th in the league -- are a testament to that, even if some of this other numbers are down. That includes his 13.8 yards per catch, which were a career worst.

But his future in Detroit is in question because he is paid to be the best receiver in the game, and he is no longer that. His cap hit next season is a prohibitive $24 million, and that is not commensurate with the production the Lions can expect from a receiver who turns 31 next season.

It's possible the Lions restructure Johnson's deal to reduce the bite next season. It's possible they propose he takes a pay cut (a notion Johnson has refused to comment on meaningfully).

Or it's possible the Lions bite the bullet and bring back Johnson at the full rate.

Or, yes, it's possible they cut their most iconic and beloved player since Barry Sanders.

It's a difficult, perhaps awkward spot for the incoming general manager. It's something Johnson is trying not to think about, though he can't help wonder about it.

"It's not in my control," Johnson said. "Only things that I do are in my control. Whatever decisions they make, that's up to them. Know what I'm sayin'? So just going to enjoy this down time and go from there."

Johnson sure seemed to enjoy himself in Chicago, right down to bear-hugging Stafford after the game, and walking down that Soldier Field tunnel for, perhaps, the final time as a Detroit Lion.

If this was it, Johnson made it count.

"It felt good to make some plays out there," Johnson said. "Have a big game like that, and definitely get the win like we did."

Lions receiver Calvin Johnson runs off the field for perhaps the final time with the Lions.

-- Download the Detroit Lions MLive app for iPhone and Android

-- Follow MLive Sports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram