Beat Writer Suggests Amon-Ra St. Brown Hold Out

Could Amon-Ra St. Brown become the highest-paid NFL wideout?

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown certainly has earned himself a hefty raise. 

General manager Brad Holmes likely will prioritize securing one of the top producing wideouts in the National Football League this summer. 

Among the challenges Detroit's third-year general manager faces is deciding which core members of the roster will earn their second contract in Motown. 

Aidan Hutchinson, Penei Sewell and Alim McNeill have established themselves as being members of the roster the team wants to build around. 

Also, Jared Goff, if he is able to secure playoff wins this season, is also in line for a significant pay raise. 

For St. Brown, a contract north of $20 million annually is in order, based on his stellar production. 

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Tyreek Hill currently earns $30 million per season, while Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson will reset the market when they secure their long-term extensions. 

In his latest mailbag, Lions beat writer Dave Birkett was asked what a new contract for St. Brown could look like. 

"I'd say the Lions could wait one more year on a deal for Penei Sewell since they have a fifth-year option (they no doubt will exercise) on his rookie contract," Birkett writes. "Sewell is on pace to be the highest-paid offensive tackle in football, but if they delay that deal one year they still should be able to afford some defensive upgrades while locking up St. Brown and Goff."

Birkett explains further, "If I was St. Brown, I probably would hold out of training camp next summer, when he's due a comparatively paltry base salary of $1.055 million (that will go up once the proven performance escalator kicks in), until I got a new deal."