Lions Extend Amon-Ra St. Brown, Make Him NFL’s Highest-Paid WR

Amon-Ra St. Brown saw 16 receivers come off the draft board ahead of him in the 2021 NFL Draft. Three years later, he’s looking down upon them and every other NFL wideout.

On Wednesday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport announced St. Brown and the Detroit Lions had agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension. The new deal includes $77 million in guarantees for the Sun God, an amount that vaults him past Cooper Kupp for the largest guaranteed figure earned by a receiver in NFL history.

A fourth-round pick, St. Brown has eclipsed 90 receptions, 900 yards, and five touchdowns in all three of his professional seasons and garnered more effusive praise each campaign. Last season, he set career-highs across the board and garnered All-Pro recognition for the first time despite initially being snubbed from the Pro-Bowl.

St. Brown’s $30 million average annual value ties him with Tyreek Hill for the largest in league history among receivers in that respect. The pact ensures he’ll be wearing the Lions’ reimagined Honolulu Blue and Silver through 2028.

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Detroit Acted Quickly And Decisively To Avoid A Holdout

Other franchises have not been as efficient in their efforts

The Lions knew they wanted St. Brown long-term, and wasted little time in securing his services beyond 2024. The fourth-year receiver became eligible for an extension when the new league year began in March, and is putting pen to paper six weeks later. The only wideout from his draft class to sign sooner was DeVonta Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles, who did so last Monday.

St. Brown and Smith are exceptions to the current trend. A number of receivers from the 2020 draft class, such as CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk, and Justin Jefferson, have been eligible for more than a year now but have not yet gotten what are expected to be lucrative paydays. All three players have held themselves out of voluntary workouts in an effort to get their deals done.

Two others, Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr., were franchise tagged this offseason. Pittman Jr. has since agreed to a three-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts, while Higgins “anticipates” playing for the Cincinnati Bengals this upcoming season.

The lone non-free agent wideout to sign a contract of similar heft to Pittman’s from the 2020 class is Jerry Jeudy, who surprisingly received $41 million guaranteed following his trade to the Cleveland Browns.

When it comes to receiver deals, the early bird catches the worm. The Eagles and Lions demonstrated this with their moves, as did the Baltimore Ravens with their Wednesday extension of Rashod Bateman. We’ll see if the Bengals, Miami Dolphins, and Houston Texans follow in their footsteps with Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, and Nico Collins all coming due in the near future.

Collins, like St. Brown, does not have a fifth-year option on his rookie deal, meaning he could hit free agency as soon as next year. As first-round picks, the option is available for Chase and Waddle’s respective franchises. Cincinnati reportedly exercised Chase’s early on Wednesday.

Source: Ian Rapoport

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

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