When it comes to wide receivers in the NFL, Amon-Ra St. Brown has become the one who sets the standard when it comes to performance benchmarks. The Detroit Lions ‘ wide receiver, who was drafted in 2021, has steadily proven that he is one of, if not the most reliable, wide receivers in the league.
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Since 2022, Brown has averaged around 1,335 receiving yards and 114.3 receptions. And with four consecutive Pro Bowl nominations and two first-team All-Pro titles in that same span, there can be no debating that he’s deserving of a top-five payday. So why isn’t he?
In April of 2024, Brown signed a four-year, $120.1-million contract. At the time, it made him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. However, in two years, he has been usurped so much so that he now ranks just seventh overall in terms of average salary and sixth in terms of total contract value.
The New York Jets’ Garrett Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ D.K. Metcalf both possess more valuable deals than Brown. Now that should cause anyone’s eyebrows to raise. Wilson and Metcalf have just one 1,300+ receiving yards season between the two of them, while Brown is coming off of the second 1,400+ yard season of his career.
However, this pay discrepancy says more about those two franchises than it does about the status of the Detroit wideout. Simply put, a combination of bad deals and general market inflation is to blame for Brown’s fall in the rankings.
Now, the average pay for a top WR is $35 million. No one will argue that players like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and CeeDee Lamb are all deserving of competitive pay days. However, as names like Puka Nacua and Jaxson Smith-Njigba begin to work toward benchmark contract extensions, Brown could fall even further behind.
Of course, the Lions will likely be expected to come up with some extra cash soon to keep him satisfied. Conveniently enough, however, they likely won’t have to worry about that scenario for at least another year. That gives them plenty of time to address other needs before ultimately circling back to their WR1.
