This might be a clear cut case of “be careful what you wish for.”
Detroit Lions All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown sent a message to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles during a YouTube “Cold as Balls” video segment with comedian and Eagles superfan Kevin Hart on April 8.
“We want to win the Super Bowl, of course,” St. Brown told Hart when asked what his prediction was for the upcoming season.
“But (you) can’t, because of the Eagles,” Hart responded.
“Hopefully we get you guys Week 1,” St. Brown said, referring to the Eagles’ home opener on September 4.
In the realm of trash talking or bulletin board material that’s not entirely seismic, but St. Brown does have a history of trash talking opponents and seeing it come back to bite him later.
He also has a history of being one of the NFL’s best wide receivers. Through his first 4 seasons, St. Brown is already a 3-time Pro Bowler, 2-time NFL All-Pro and signed a 4-year, $120 million contract extension in April 2024.
St. Brown Has Trashed Opponents in Past
St. Brown has backed up his “look at me” approach to football with big-time play and a punishing work ethic. He has 430 receptions for 4,851 receiving yards and 33 touchdowns through his first 4 seasons — numbers that make him seem on pace to be a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
He’s also coming off the most disappointing moment of his NFL career to date. The Lions earned the No. 1 seed and earned a first round bye in the NFC Playoffs following the 2024 season but were shocked in a home playoff loss to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round.
St. Brown singled out Washington wide receiver Dyami Brown following a 2022 game for being drafted 30 spots ahead of St. Brown. Brown played the best game of his career in the playoff win over the Lions with 6 receptions for 98 yards in a 45-31 Washington win.
“You know the draft. It is what it is,” St. Brown told reporters in 2022. “Even the Commanders, they got a guy before me over there. I believe his name is Dyami Brown. I don’t know how many catches he had—you guys can probably tell me that—or how many yards he had, but I don’t forget things like that. I see him across the sideline from where I’m standing during the game, and I’m gonna give every team hell … I didn’t see (Brown) in the game much.”
How St. Brown Has Played Against the Eagles
St. Brown will be facing a revamped secondary for the Eagles when they do eventually face each other. Gone are longtime stalwarts in safety C.J. Gardner Johnson (trade), cornerback Darius Slay (free agency) and cornerback James Bradberry (released) off last year’s Super Bowl-winning team.
The Lions have only faced the Eagles twice during St. Brown’s career — both losses and both times where St. Brown seemed mostly unremarkable.
The Eagles and Lions haven’t played since a 38-35 win by the Eagles in the 2022 season opener in which St. Brown had 8 receptions for 64 yards and 1 touchdown. Before that, St. Brown had 3 receptions for 46 yards in a 41-6 loss to the Eagles in 2021.
