Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 9-Word Reaction to Coaching Changes
The Detroit Lions will experience a significant shake-up in their coaching staff for the 2025-26 season, having to replace several assistant coaches. Both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn have accepted head coaching roles, while former tight ends coach Steve Heiden left for the offensive line coaching position with the New York Jets.
Despite the changes, star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown remains confident in the team’s ability to succeed.
“We’ll be all right, though,” St. Brown said via NBC Sports. “Players make plays, right?”
St. Brown himself certainly made plenty of plays during the 2024 season, catching 115 passes for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns, ranking No. 2, 5, and 3 in the NFL in those categories, respectively. He also made a notable impact in the Lions’ 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round, recording eight catches for 137 yards.
Heading into his fifth NFL season, St. Brown has surpassed 1,000 yards in every season except for his rookie year, 2021, when he finished with 912 yards.
How did Amon-Ra St. Brown react to the departure of his WR coach?
Another key departure from the Lions coaching staff is wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, who followed Ben Johnson to Chicago. Randle El has been named the Bears’ assistant head coach and wide receivers coach.
St. Brown shared his thoughts on his former coach’s move, saying he was happy for him.
“I’m happy for him,” St. Brown said about Randle El joining Johnson in Chicago. “We have a group chat with all wide receivers and coach in it, I was just thinking about it, Antwaan Randle El our receiver coach is from Chicago. So I thought maybe he’s going to go with them. So I hit the group chat and said ‘L [Randle El] aren’t you from Chicago? You following Ben? I sent that at 6:17 p.m., two minutes later I get a call from him asking if it’s been leaked. I said no, I was just messing around. Then he told me he was leaving, going to become assistant head coach and wide receivers coach, so it’s a step up, and it’s Chicago so I got to take that.”
St. Brown credits Randle El for playing a significant role in his development into one of the NFL’s top wide receivers.
