NFL Rumors: Cowboys-Mike Evans warning, Lions star extension, McCarthy surprise
- J.J. McCarthy lands with surprise NFC contender
- Lions, Amon-Ra St. Brown are engaged in extension talks
- Cowboys warned not to pursue Mike Evans in free agency
NFL rumors: Lions, Amon-Ra St. Brown engaged in contract extension talks
The Detroit Lions were one second-half collapse away from the Super Bowl. It was a magical season for Dan Campbell's squad, defined by their explosive offense under the command of football prodigy Ben Johnson in the O.C. chair. A key weapon, of course, was wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, who earned his second Pro Bowl nod and first All-Pro honors. St. Brown finished the season with 119 receptions on 164 targets for 1,515 yards, 75 first downs, and 10 touchdowns.
Naturally, the 24-year-old is considered a key part of the Lions' future. That is how Detroit is treating offseason extension talks. According to NFL insider Cam Marino, the Lions and St. Brown are discussing a contract of "at least three years" with an annual salary of roughly $25 million.
Source: The Detroit Lions and star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown are in discussions that would give St. Brown’s contract an extension of at least three years at an annual salary of ~$25M. Extending St. Brown is a priority for the Lions as they enter their offseason. pic.twitter.com/R9BvuebIhn
— Cam Marino (@MarinoNFL) February 15, 2024
St. Brown will have earned every penny. His blend of open-field speed and elusiveness off the line of scrimmage is pure magic. The Lions tend to air it out a lot. Jared Goff has come into his own as a Pro Bowl-level QB, but it's impossible not to correlate Goff's spike in success to St. Brown's arrival and subsequent explosion over the last three years. He is Goff's favorite target — a versatile route-runner who can make every catch in the book.
The Lions were right on the precipice of the Super Bowl. FanSided's John Buhler is already predicting that Detroit will win it all next season. With Johnson miraculously back at O.C. and several valuable lessons learned from their NFC Championship collapse, it's easy to buy stock in Detroit as Super Bowl contenders — and maybe even favorites. If the Lions do make a run, we can safely predict that St. Brown will be central to their success.