Despite a rocky start to his rookie season, Amon-Ra St. Brown has been one of the NFL’s most prolific wide receivers over the last three years. Because of his high level of performance, he is poised to become one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the league with his contract extension this summer.
Another top priority for the Detroit Lions this offseason is a contract extension for quarterback Jared Goff, who is also in the final year of his current contract. He is no longer Detroit’s bridge quarterback, but has been a top-10 performer among his peers for the majority of the last two seasons. However, the cost of a new contract for Goff is only increasing, and the large
Regardless, St. Brown and Goff are core players for the Lions and neither one is going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
Where do Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown rank among top NFL QB-WR duos?
Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report has ranked the top-10 quarterback-wide receiver duos in the NFL, with the extra (and unnecessary?) assumption of “heading into the 2024 NFL Draft”.
Goff and St. Brown are on the list, of course, but where do they rank?
After three honorable mentions (Patrick Mahomes-Rashee Rice; Derek Carr-Chris Olave; C.J. Stroud-Nico Collins), here’s how the list starts, counting down from No. 10.
10. Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans
9. Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua
8. Geno Smith and DK Metcalf
7. Brock Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk
Goff and St. Brown land at No. 6.
Wideouts who see most of their targets out of the slot rarely earn mention as part of a top quarterback-receiver tandem……Amon-Ra St. Brown has established three years of consistency with quarterback Jared Goff, seen an increase in production across multiple receiving categories every year and put together an All-Pro campaign in 2023.
In Detroit, Goff, 29, has become a more efficient quarterback, with higher completion rates and lower interception rates than he had in Los Angeles thanks in part to St. Brown’s playmaking ability out of the slot and on the boundary…..Goff’s longevity with St. Brown pushes them above Brock Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk.”
A piece of something Mouton wrote about St. Brown might become fresh bulletin board material for the “Sun God.”
“The 2021 fourth-rounder doesn’t beat defenders over the top for big plays often, but he’s one of the league’s most reliable down-to-down receivers inside and outside the red zone.”
Any disagreements about Goff and St. Brown’s rankings must be contextualized in light of who came in front of them. So here’s the rest of the list, beginning with No. 5.
5. Jalen Hurts & A.J. Brown
4. Josh Allen & Stefon Diggs
3. Dak Prescott & CeeDee Lamb
2. Tua Tagovailoa & Tyreek Hill
1. Joe Burrow & Ja’Marr Chase
It’s difficult to dispute with Burrow and Chase at No. 1 based on Mouton’s overall ranking criteria (longevity and high-end productivity). Hill has definitely boosted Tagovailoa, and they were chosen over the longer-tenured tandems they narrowly contested (Allen-Diggs, Prescott-Lamb).
