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Photo: Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown Releases 'Slot Merchant' Apparel for NFL Playoffs

Doric SamJanuary 8, 2025

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 05: Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions warms up prior to the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on January 05, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Detroit Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown turned a jab from an opposing player into a trademark.

On Wednesday, St. Brown released new merchandise featuring the phrase "Slot Merchant." A hoodie and a T-shirt are available for purchase on St. Brown's official merchandise website.

๐”—๐”ฅ๐”ข ๐”‡๐”ข๐”ฑ๐”ฏ๐”ฌ๐”ฆ๐”ฑ ๐”—๐”ฆ๐”ช๐”ข๐”ฐ ๐Ÿ“ฐ @the_det_times

Amon-Ra St. Brown just released "Slot Merchant" merchandise available to purchase on his website <br><br>๐Ÿ˜‚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnePride?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnePride</a> <a href="https://t.co/XhzWAtggww">pic.twitter.com/XhzWAtggww</a>

During an appearance on FS1's The Facility in October, Pittsburgh Steelers wideout George Pickens threw a barb toward St. Brown while answering a question about where he ranks himself among the other top receivers in the NFL.

"I probably say schematically is the big thing in football. That's how you get Amon-Ra St. Brown, slot merchants, that's schematically getting fed the ball," Pickens said in an attempt to explain why other receivers produce bigger numbers than he does.

St. Brown finished the 2024 season ranked second in the league with 115 receptions, fifth with 1,263 receiving yards and third with 12 receiving touchdowns. It's his third straight year with over 100 catches and over 1,000 yards, but he's not necessarily the "Slot Merchant" that Pickens pained him out to be.

In 2024, St. Brown had 42.9 percent of his snaps come from the slot, the lowest mark of his four-year career and a drop from his 47.3 percent rate in 2023. He saw most of his snaps from the slot in his rookie season when he operated out of the position at a 62.7 percent clip.

Regardless of where St. Brown is lined up, his production is one of the key reasons why the Lions went 15-2, won the NFC North title for the second straight year and claimed the NFC's No. 1 seed. Detroit is hoping to earn its first Super Bowl title in franchise history, and St. Brown will have to be at his best for the team to achieve that goal.