Amon-Ra St. Brown has been a vital piece for the Detroit Lions ever since he was drafted. The wide receiver was only a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he emerged as a star in recent years. His contract extension signed after the 2024 season serves as proof of his value.
However, if it was up to him, the marriage would've never happened. Appearing on a recent episode of The Pivot Podcast, Amon-Ra St. Brown revealed that his initial wish was not to go to the Lions. Even worse: he wanted to go to one of their division rivals to join forces with Aaron Rodgers.
"I'll say it again. I remember getting drafted seeing the 313, I said ‘f*ck’. The one team I told my brother 'I do not want to go to is Detroit'. ‘I want to go to the Packers [and] play with Aaron, go to the Chiefs to play with Mahomes, Cowboys, any of the big teams [with a] good quarterback.'"
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Prior to the 2021 season, the Lions entered an official rebuild of the team, trading longtime star quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams. As a result, Detroit ended up with Jared Goff - a rare case of two teams who walked away from a deal much better than with their initial resources.
Amon-Ra St. Brown: How much is the Lions wide receiver earning on his new deal?
With a total value of $120 million over four years, St. Brown has a top-five deal on average per year. The Detroit Lions wide receiver consistently developed into a threat for opposing defenses and has earned every single penny.
His extension will run through the 2029 season, as he still has one year left on his rookie deal. The $77 million guaranteed is also one of the biggest for any NFL receiver; he also has a cap hit of only $4.8 million in 2024.
With Jameson Williams still to turn into a receiver worthy of his first-round status and Josh Reynolds moving on, the receiving group will need even more of Amon-Ra. But he has shown that he's up to the task.
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