The Detroit Lions have meticulously built up their roster since the arrival of general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell in 2021, turning what was a bottom-dwelling team into a Super Bowl contender.
Now, the Lions are set to face their next roster challenge — paying up.
Several key members of the team are in line for contract extensions, and Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports predicts that the Lions will be paying more than $350 million on three major deals this offseason. One of the biggest commitments is expected to go to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has turned into one of the league’s top wide receivers and is expected to be paid as such.
Big Payday for Lions Receiver
St. Brown was among the league leaders in several receiving statistics in 2023, making 119 receptions for 1,515 yards with 13 touchdowns. He was also one of the team’s top performers during their playoff run to the NFC Championship game, making a total of 22 receptions for 274 yards with one touchdown over three postseason games.
Payton predicted that the Lions would lock St. Brown down ahead of the final year of his rookie contract, giving him a four-year deal worth a total of $100 million. He also predicted that the Lions would give a four-year, $190 million extension to quarterback Jared Goff, keeping their two main pieces of the passing game intact for the near future.
There could be other moves down the line. Payton predicted that the Lions would pick up the fifth-year option on Penei Sewell while working toward a long-term deal for the key offensive lineman.
The Lions would need to make some corresponding moves in order to stay compliant with the salary cap. Payton predicted they would restructure the contracts of linemen Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker along with defensive back Cameron Sutton, saving a total of $17.8 millon with the moves.
Lions Working Toward New Deal
The Lions appear to already be working toward a new deal with their star wide receiver. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported on February 29 that the team wanted to sign St. Brown to a contract extension this offseason and scheduled to meet with his representatives at the NFL combine this week.
The timeline for a deal remained unclear, but Birkett reported that there was optimism it would come.
“While no deal is imminent, the Lions have made it clear they intend to invest in their own roster this offseason,” Birkett reported.
Holmes opened up on the team’s roster plans, saying he and Campbell wanted to prioritize keeping their own players rather than making big moves in free agency.
“It’s not just, ‘Oh, you drafted them and you know them so even if they’re not performing well and they’re not meeting expectations that you just keep them,’” he said. “No, it’s that you try your best to acquire the right players through the draft and hopefully the goal is to develop and then once they get to a point where they’re eligible to re-sign, you re-sign them and you feel really, really good about it.”
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