The Green Bay Packers faced a great deal of uncertainty at the wide receiver position going into the 2022 NFL season. Of course, that was because they traded All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders after he informed the team he would not play for them while on the franchise tag.
After trading Adams, the Packers drafted three wide receivers in each of the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts, giving them one of the youngest receiving corps in the league. Many fans have wondered what the team would look like if they had a true number one wide receiver like Adams, as opposed to four-to-five solid receivers that have yet to prove they are a top wideout.
Even now, many wonder what might have happened and what the team would be like now if the Packers had drafted wide receiver Tee Higgins in 2020 instead of now starting quarterback Jordan Love.
As it turns out, one All-Pro pass catcher wanted to be drafted by the Packers, too, but instead was taken by one of their division rivals.
Detroit Lions All-Pro Wide Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown Wanted to Be Drafted by the Green Bay Packers
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Eric Woodyard, St. Brown revealed that the only team he did not want to get drafted by was, in fact, the Detroit Lions. Instead, he wanted the Packers to draft him so he could play with his brother, Equanimeous St. Brown, who was on the team at the time.
“When it got to Day 3, I was already mad. I even told my brother [Equanimeous], ‘If there’s one team I don’t want to go to, that’s the Lions. Just, please, I don’t want to go to the Lions.’ [My brother] was on the Packers at the time and I was like, ‘I want to play with him.’”
While the younger St. Brown may not have gotten his draft weekend wish, he did go to a team that has allowed him to thrive. Had he gone to Green Bay in 2021, he likely would not have been the recipient of many targets. Former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was notorious for ignoring rookie wide receivers during his latter years in Green Bay.
Amon St. Brown Has Thrived with the Detroit Lions
Instead, St. Brown went to Detroit where he was immediately given a massive role in the offense. He finished his rookie year with 90 receptions for 912 yards and five touchdowns.
In 2022, St. Brown made his first Pro Bowl after recording 106 receptions for 1,161 yards and six touchdowns. This past season, he was named First Team All-Pro after setting career highs with 119 receptions, 1,515 yards, and 10 touchdowns.
Obviously, this level of production has made St. Brown one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. 2024 is the final year of his four-year rookie contract, but the Lions made sure that he would not be leaving them any time soon.
In the days leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, Detroit gave St. Brown a four-year $120 million contract, making him one of the highest paid wide receivers in NFL history.
How ironic: the team he did not want to pick him in the draft ended up giving him $30 million a year.
It is not likely he would have seen that kind of money playing for the Packers.
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