The Lions have a number of key members of this year’s run to the NFC title game eligible for an extension. That list includes wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is on the team’s radar for a new deal.
The Lions plan on working out an extension with St. Brown this offseason, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. The sides will meet at this week’s Combine, he adds. No agreement is imminent at this time, but a second contract will no doubt be an expensive endeavor.
St. Brown entered the league with considerably lower expectations than a number of his 2021 draft classmates at the receiver position. In three seasons with Detroit, however, he has posted the most receptions amongst wideouts taken in that year. He ranks second in yards and touchdowns behind only Ja’Marr Chase and has established himself as an instrumental member of Detroit’s offense.
The former fourth-rounder has improved his production with each passing season and in 2023 he posted a stellar 119-1515-10 statline. Those totals earned him a second Pro Bowl invite and first-team All-Pro honors. With a fifth-year option unavailable due to his being selected outside the first round, St. Brown is on track to reach free agency next offseason. Avoiding that represents an obvious priority for the Lions as they aim to build off this year’s success. St. Brown could join Chase and 2020 draftee Justin Jefferson in securing a monster extension in the near future.
Tyreek Hill currently tops the receiver market at an AAV of $30M, and three other wideouts currently average at least $25M per season. Pacts signed this year could send the top of the market to new heights, something St. Brown would be in line to benefit from. The 24-year-old should be expected to remain a major factor in Detroit’s offense even with Jameson Williams in place and tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs each having delivered impressive rookie seasons in the pass-catching department.
The Lions have a Jared Goff extension to attend to, something which could be hammered out this offseason. That will be a costly re-up, given the success the former No. 1 pick has had in the Motor City. Detroit could also use the coming months to work out second pacts for offensive tackle Penei Sewell and D-lineman Alim McNeill, both of whom are now extension-eligible. St. Brown’s case for a massive raise is strong, though, and it would come as little surprise if the team moved quickly in finalizing one.