The Detroit Lions coaching staff will have a drastically different look when the 2025-26 season begins as they have had to replace a large number of assistant coaches. Both Lions coordinators, Ben Johnson on offense and Aaron Glenn on defense, each accepted a head coaching position. Steve Heiden, the former Lions tight ends coach, accepted the offensive line coaching position with the New York Jets.
Despite the NFL coaching carousel taking its toll on the Lions, star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown believes the team will be ok.
“We’ll be all right, though,” St. Brown said via NBC Sports. “Players make plays, right?”
St. Brown made his fair share of plays throughout the 2024 season. He caught 115 passes for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns throughout the 2024 regular season, placing him No. 2, 5 and 3 in the NFL in each category, respectively.
St. Brown made his presence known in the Lions' 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round. He had eight receptions for 137 yards.
When the 2025-26 season begins, St. Brown will be heading into his fifth NFL season. He has comfortably crossed the 1,000-yard threshold in each season with the exception of his rookie campaign, the 2021 season in which he finished with 912 yards receiving.
How did Amon-Ra St. Brown react to the exit of WR coach?
Related Detroit Lions NewsArticle continues below
Another Lions assistant coach who has accepted a new job is wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, who joined Ben Johnson's staff in Chicago. Randle El will serve as the Bears' assistant head coach and wide receivers coach.
Amon-Ra St. Brown explained how he is happy for his former position coach.
“I'm happy for him,” St. Brown said about Randel 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 has become one of the NFL's top wide receivers, something that Randle El played a role in during his time in Detroit.
