Lions coach Jim Schwartz turned and looked over his left shoulder as his star receiver Calvin Johnson sat quietly in a corner.

“That deal is signed, right?” Schwartz said. “Everything’s signed? I’d have held out for more money, Calvin.

“Calvin’s one of those guys that, and we’ve said this about a few guys in our building now, that whatever you pay him is not enough. And he’s truly a special player.”

The Lions made their special player the highest-paid receiver in the game Wednesday, signing Johnson to an 8-year, $132-million contract that would keep Johnson in Detroit through 2019.

The deal includes a record $60 million in guarantees, topping the $50 million Rams quarterback Sam Bradford got in his rookie deal two years ago, and frees up about $9 million in cap space that the Lions can use in free agency.