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Detroit Lions sign Amon-Ra St. Brown to mammoth 4-year contract extension
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- Detroit Lions sign Amon-Ra St. Brown to mammoth 4-year contract extension
Amon-Ra St. Brown was the steal of the 2021 NFL draft, he has improved statistically every season and now he'll be a Detroit Lion for the foreseeable future.
St. Brown agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Lions on Wednesday, a person familiar with the deal told the Free Press. The source requested anonymity because they are not at liberty to discuss the deal in public.
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The contract, which includes $77 million guaranteed and has a maximum value of more than $120 million, according to NFL Network , makes St. Brown one of the highest-paid receivers in football.
Tyreek Hill was the NFL's highest-paid receiver on an average annual value basis at $30 million per season. While St. Brown's new deal, which ties him to Detroit through the 20208 season, appears to top that, CBS Sports reported he will average $28 million annually over the first three years of the contract.
Davante Adams ($28 million) is the only other receiver making more than $27 million per season, though Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings and Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals are in line for extensions expected to pay them more than $30 million annually this offseason.
St. Brown, entering the final year of his rookie contract, was scheduled to make $3.366 million in 2024.
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"At Ford Field," St. Brown said in an Instagram story he posted Wednesday with the caption, "4 more years. Let's run it."
"It's empty. Usually it's rocking. I can't wait. I'm here four more years. It's up, it's turnt. Detroit, what up doe?"
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Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown shakes hands with fans during warms up before the NFC championship game against San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
A fourth-round pick out of USC in 2021, St. Brown has been one of the Lions' most dependable players since he landed in Detroit.
He set a franchise rookie record with 90 receptions in 2021 and earned first-team All-Pro honors last season with 119 catches and 1,515 yards. In three seasons, he has 315 receptions – third most by any player through their first three years in NFL history – 3,588 yards and 28 touchdowns.
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The Lions have prioritized re-signing some of their young nucleus this offseason, and Lions coach Dan Campbell has pointed to St. Brown as the type of player he wants in his program.
"The things that he does every day in practice and every game show up all the time," Campbell said in January. "That's what a pro is and it's why he's a pro. I mean, it's — you can write down everything that he's going to do and he'll do it.
"It's the same thing, and there's nothing easy about what he does. But for him, it's routine and it's why he's a great player. It's consistency. You know exactly what you're going to get every time, so it's easy when you have a guy like him on your team. It's easy to gameplan with him what you can do because you know what you're going to get."
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Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown celebrates the 31-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC divisional round at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024.
One of the Lions' hardest workers and fiercest competitors, St. Brown has kept a list of all 16 receivers taken before him in the 2021 draft that he refers to daily in-season for motivation.
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Three receivers went in the top 10 that season, Chase (No. 5), Jaylen Waddle (No. 6) and DeVonta Smith (No. 10), and two more went in the first round.
Chase, Waddle and Smith are the only pass catchers from the draft with even half as many catches as St. Brown, who slipped to Day 3 because of size and speed concerns.
"He does it all," CBS analyst and former Lions receiver Nate Burleson said at the Super Bowl in February. "Not only is he dynamic, he blocks his butt off. He just adds a spark. Really unique talent. He's as good as any No. 1 wide receiver, but he brings that energy that you need."
With St. Brown's deal done, the Lions can turn their attention to finalizing a long-term contract extension with quarterback Jared Goff .
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Goff is entering the final season of an extension he signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019 and is scheduled to make $27.9 million next season. He expressed optimism about getting a new deal last week.
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Penei Sewell , the Lions' first-round pick in 2021, and defensive tackle Alim McNeill , a third-rounder that year, also are eligible for contract extensions for the first time this offseason.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Amon-Ra St. Brown signs mammoth contract extension with Detroit Lions
