Amon-Ra St. Brown knows what it's like to come out of the trenches. He was taken by the Detroit Lions back in 2021, in the middle of a huge rebuild that involved him and Jared Goff attempting to take the team out of the gutter and back into contention.
Kalif Raymond was in the same boat with them, having joined the team during St. Brown's draft year and helping along their offense as both a great returner and an unbelievably reliable third option at wide receiver for Goff.
Now, Raymond is gone. As the Lions continue to usher in a new era of this team, intentionally or not, we're seeing more and more fan-favorites leave for new pastures. This time, Raymond is walking for the Chicago Bears in a reunion with Ben Johnson and former wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El. And, St. Brown couldn't help but share a sad reaction to that surprising free agency news.
Greatest teammate I’ve ever had. Lockermate since rookie year 😔 love you brother https://t.co/8Nuk6Wqvbp
— Amon-Ra (@amonra_stbrown) March 10, 2026
Lions let Raymond walk as team is on the hunt for new returner
While the Lions will be okay at WR3 given that they drafted Isaac TeSlaa last year, it's the loss of a major leader in the locker room that hurts. Raymond, as we noted above, has been with Detroit since their darker days at the very beginning of the Dan Campbell-era.
With his departure, and with the Lions' trade of David Montgomery right before free agency, it just feels like the team is turning a page on an era that didn't necessarily have any thorniness to it.
READ MORE: Eye-popping stat should have Lions fans very excited for the arrival of Cade Mays
It's wonderful to see that Raymond was able to net this deal, which is worth one-year at $5.1 million per NFL Network's Mike Garofolo. He'll be utilized well under Johnson, who got some incredible reps out of him the last few seasons with the Lions. But, it is unfortunate that Detroit couldn't match this deal.
It's been the name of the game for Detroit through the first two days of free agency. It's obvious that the team is cutting corners with so many big name extensions coming up, and they're also not trying to kick the can down the road with any restructured deals as of yet.
Raymond is a cap casualty here, and a sad one at that. But, long term, the Lions are doing this to secure a future full of contending seasons.