The Detroit Lions have taken care of and locked up their best skill player wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to a 4-year, $120 million deal, according to NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport.
St. Brown will get the bag, $77 million guaranteed, as part of the new agreement. That is the most guaranteed money for a wide receiver in a single contract in NFL history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He could have hit the free agency market at the conclusion of the 2024 NFL campaign without the security of a new deal.
Prior to the news of the deal breaking, St. Brown spoke to ESPN on Wednesday morning saying he felt “good” about a potential contract extension.
“I’m not worried, I know that’s going to get taken care of here in the near future,” he said. “Not too worried about that. Talks have been going great. So, I’m excited for that.”
His father, John Brown, who was a world-class body builder, told ESPN the Lions were looking to get the deal done before the draft.
“You go back and forth, but when it happens, even when you anticipate it, it’s mind blowing,” Brown said. “I’m proud of him.”
In a video posted to his social media from Ford Field, which is the home of the Lions, St. Brown, said, “I can’t wait. I’m here, four more years.”
According to Spotrac, the $30 million annual average salary ties St. Brown with Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins as tops among all wide receivers. The guaranteed $77 million vaults him ahead of the $75 million for Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams.
St. Brown has played three seasons with the Lions after being selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft out of USC. He has been rock solid, with trips to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons and was a first-team All-Pro in 2023.
St. Brown, who was set to make a $3.366 million base salary in 2024, is coming off a career season with the Lions after catching 119 balls for 1,515 yards and 10 scores.
Since 2021, among wide receivers, St. Brown is eighth in total receiving yards (3,588), fifth in receptions (315), and seventh in touchdowns (21).
St. Brown said his goals for this upcoming season include winning a Super Bowl after helping the Lions make the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 32 years.
“My goals for next year are definitely going to be loftier goals than last year, but I want to win the Super Bowl,” he told ESPN. “That’s goal No. 1 for me, for our whole team, is to get that Super Bowl.
“We’re hungry, we’re ready for it,” he said. “We came up short last year, but we feel like we’re ready for it. We’ve got the guys on this team. We’ve been before now; we know what it looks like, and it starts now for us.”
