Good news: Three highly skilled quarterbacks worth $286.33 million were signed by the Lions.

Since general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell joined the franchise in 2021, the Detroit Lions have painstakingly assembled their squad, transforming the once-dreary team into a Super Bowl contender.

The Lions will now have to deal with their next personnel dilemma: paying up.

The team has a number of important players up for contract extensions, and according to Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports, the Lions will spend over $350 million on three large contracts this summer. Amon-Ra St. Brown is projected to receive one of the largest commitments because he has developed into one of the league’s best wide receivers and should be compensated accordingly.

Huge Payday for Lions Wide Receiver St. Brown: In 2023, he made 119 receptions for 1,515 yards and 13 touchdowns, ranking among the league leaders in various receiving metrics. With a total of 22 receptions for 274 yards and one touchdown over the course of three postseason games, he was also one of the team’s best players during their playoff run to the NFC Championship game.

Payton projected that St. Brown will sign a four-year contract with the Lions that would pay him a total of $100 million before the last year of his rookie contract. Additionally, he projected that the Lions would offer quarterback Jared Goff a four-year, $190 million agreement, preserving their two most important passing game components for the foreseeable 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 Struggling for a New Deal
The Lions and their standout wide out seem to be in the process of negotiating a new contract. According to a report by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press on February 29, the organization plans to meet with St. Brown’s representatives this week at the NFL combine in order to discuss signing him to a contract extension during the offseason.

While Birkett indicated that there was hope for an agreement, the exact timing was still unknown.

Birkett stated, “The Lions have made it clear they intend to invest in their own roster this offseason, even though no deal is imminent.”