Lions, All-Pro WR Amon-Ra St. Brown agree to massive, multi-year extension

The Detroit Lions have come to terms on an anticipated contract extension with All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown on Wednesday.

A source familiar with the negotiations confirmed the four-year agreement to The Detroit News. Initial reports from the NFL Network peg the package worth north of $120 million with $77 million guaranteed.

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Selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of USC, St. Brown has arguably been general manager Brad Holmes' best selection through the first three years of his tenure. After catching a modest 39 passes through his first 11 games with the Lions, the team made a concerted effort to get St. Brown the ball more down the stretch of his rookie season. He would go on to tally at least eight receptions in each of the final six games, setting the franchise's single-season rookie records with 90 grabs for 912 yards.

St. Brown carried the momentum into his second season, recording 106 receptions for 1,161 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games, earning Pro Bowl honors for his efforts. And in 2023, he established himself among the league's elite producers at his position. He was named a first-team All-Pro in 2023 after catching 119 passes for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns, ranking in the top-four in all three categories.

"I feel as good with him as I've ever felt with anybody," Lions quarterback Jared Goff said last season. "He's a stud. He gets himself open. He has great hands. I could go down the list of things we all know about him. I think, ultimately, I trust him. It's a credit to the way he practices and the way that he goes about his business."

Beyond the statistical output, St. Brown immediately established himself as one of the roster's hardest-working players, staying after every practice daily to catch 202 extra passes off the JUGS machine.

“A guy like Saint, he sets the bar," Lions coach Dan Campbell said during training camp last year. "...The way he comes out every day, he has not changed one bit since he was a rookie. I mean he does all the same things that has validated what he’s done and the production that has come by the way that he works. He just goes. And it’s every little thing, every little detail, he finishes. You see him pre-practice, you see him post-practice, he doesn’t change one thing.

"When you do that, there’s no way he’s not going to have a big year," Campbell continued. "There’s no way. Because he’s not changed one thing. And I know this, if I’m a young guy, I’m watching him every play. I would be, they should be. He’s unbelievable. He really is. And my biggest fear is that I don’t ever want to take him for granted because sometimes you just — he's going to always be there. He’s always going to make a play, he’s always going to, and I appreciate that about him. He’s something else."

Prior to the extension, St. Brown was entering the final season of his four-year rookie deal. He already earned a pay raise this offseason based on a collectively bargained device that rewards non-first-round picks for topping playing time and production thresholds. The more than $2 million bump raised his base salary to $3.37 million.

The extension more accurately reflects his standing as one of the league's best at the position. The projected $30 million average value of the contract would match Tyreek Hill for the most lucrative contract of any NFL wide receiver.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers