The Sun God will continue shining in Detroit.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Lions have agreed to a four-year contract extension, keeping the star receiver in Detroit through the 2028 season, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources informed of the pact.
The extension is worth more than $120 million in new money and contains $77 million in total guarantees, per Rapoport.
Earning more than $30 million per year on the four-year extension makes St. Brown the highest-paid WR in terms of annual average. The $77 million in guarantees is the highest among all wide receivers, leapfrogging Cooper Kupp's $75 million.
St. Brown's extension comes on the same day Detroit made Penei Sewell the newest highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL on a per year basis, agreeing to terms with the tackle on a four-year, $112 million extension that includes $85 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported.
The 2021 fourth-round pick vastly outplayed his rookie deal, which had the wideout scheduled to make $3.366 million in base salary in the final year of his contract.
St. Brown immediately became the Lions' No. 1 receiver as a rookie and raised his standing each subsequent season. In three campaigns, the USC product has earned two Pro Bowl nods, 2023 first-team All-Pro honors, and generated 3,588 total receiving yards and 21 touchdowns.
In 2023, the dynamic playmaker raised his game to new heights, earning 1,515 yards and 10 TDs on 119 catches, all career-highs, helping the Lions bury 30-plus-years of postseason futility and capturing the club's first division title since 1993. Among all receivers, St. Brown finished the season third in yards, third in catches, tied for fourth in touchdowns, third in first downs (75), tied for third in catches per game (7.4), and fifth in yards per contest (94.7).
When quarterback Jared Goff needed a play, in stepped St. Brown, finding open grass and snatching the spiraling pigskin out of the air.
A shining example of the trust the Goff and the Lions have in St. Brown came in the wild-card round in January. With Detroit clinging to a 1-point lead over the Los Angeles Rams, facing a second-and-9 following the two-minute warning, the Lions didn't simply run the ball to force L.A. to burn their final timeout. Instead, Goff dropped back and hit St. Brown on a comeback route from the slot, picking up 11 yards and icing the game. It would have kept the Rams alive if St. Brown missed the grab. Instead, the receiver secured Detroit's first playoff win in 32 years.
A precise route runner, St. Brown gobbles up defenders, creating easy lanes for Goff. Owning vice-grip hands, the wideout rarely bobbles the ball. Per Next Gen Stats, St. Brown suffered just two drops in 2023 amounting to a 1.2% drop rate, the lowest among all wideouts with at least 125 targets. He's the complete package, a player who can win at every level and offers run-after-catch ability.
By every metric, St. Brown deserved his massive pay raise. The new deal more appropriately slides the wideout's compensation into the upper echelon of his peers.
The $120 million extension gives St. Brown $30 million per year in new money, matching Tyreek Hill as the top wideout in annual value. Adding the $3.366 million ARSB is due in 2024, the complete pact averages to roughly $24.67 million over the next five seasons.
The Lions were wise to lock down their No. 1 wideout now as contracts for the position continue to escalate. With Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk among the receivers in line for new deals, costs at the position are only headed northward.
St. Brown played a pivotal role in digging Detroit out from years of wallowing in the mud as a perennial loser. The new extension ensures the Sun God will be a part of the Lions' continued quest to get to their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
