Well, that escalated quickly. Just after Amon-Ra St. Brown offered an optimistic update on contract talks to ESPN's Eric Woodyard, a deal is reportedly done. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Lions have signed St. Brown to a four-year contract extension worth "more than" $120 million with $77 million guaranteed.
St. Brown is now under contract through 2028.
At $30 million per year, St. Brown would match Tyreek Hill as the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. The $77 million guaranteed surpasses the $72.2 million in total guarantees Hill got in his deal with the Miami Dolphins.
St. Brown now also has the highest total guarantee ever for a wide receiver.
A reported $77M guaranteed for #Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown represents the highest total guarantee for a WR in #NFL history (Cooper Kupp $75M).
— Spotrac (@spotrac) April 24, 2024
Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, & Ja'Marr Chase now have a new bar to eclipse.
Initial contract numbers are routinely inflated by some national reporters, as they carry water for agents (see Rapoport's tweet with mention of the agent for confirmation of that). So we'll see if these numbers stand up with a full reveal of how the deal is structured. But St. Brown is getting the substantial raise he has earned.
Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reported some additional details about St. Brown's new deal.
Adding details: #Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown's new deal averages $28M a year in the first 3 years, and will pay $14M+ guaranteed for injury only in the 3rd year of his extension (at the time of signing), per source.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) April 24, 2024
Source added the 3rd new year injury guarantee is likely to… pic.twitter.com/iJjohGRaus
St. Brown confirmed the news with a video on Instagram.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is staying in Detroit 🦁
— NFL (@NFL) April 24, 2024
(via @amonra_stbrown/IG) pic.twitter.com/ggS4p3DAsc
Amon-Ra St. Brown's reign as the highest-paid WR in NFL may be short-lived
St. Brown was the 17th wide receiver taken in the 2021 draft, and he has outproduced most of the 16 who were selected before him. Over the past three seasons, he is eighth in the league among wide receivers in receiving yards (3,588), fifth in receptions (315) and 13th in receiving touchdowns (21).
Narrowing to the past two seasons, as has made the Pro Bowl in each and was a First Team All-Pro last year, St. Brown ranks fifth in yards, third in receptions, and seventh in touchdowns. Last season, St. Brown was tied for second in the league in receptions (119), third in receiving yards (1,515) and tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns (10).
St. Brown is an obvious core player for the Lions. A contract extension for him as he enters the final year of his rookie contract was a high offseason priority.
St. Brown's time as the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL may be short-lived though. Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb are in line for big contracts too, likely before the offseason is over for at least one of them, if not all three. But on the eve of the draft, the Lions have rewarded St. Brown for the star he has become.