Amon-Ra St. Brown’s Unexpected Surprise: How He Found Out His Coach Was Leaving

Lions star wide receiver shares a funny behind-the-scenes moment about his coach’s departure

A Sudden Departure with Familiar Faces Moving On

When Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson accepted the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears, many speculated that he might bring some of his former colleagues along with him.

That speculation turned into reality as Johnson took two key staff members from the Lions—wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El and assistant quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett. While these moves weren’t entirely unexpected, one of Detroit’s top players, Amon-Ra St. Brown, had a uniquely humorous way of figuring it out before anything was made official.

Connecting the Dots in a Group Chat

On the January 29 episode of the St. Brown Podcast, the Lions’ star wide receiver shared how he unintentionally confirmed Randle El’s move before the news broke.

St. Brown recalled sending a message to the receivers’ group chat, playfully probing his coach about the situation.

“I hit up the group chat, I go, ‘El, ain’t you from Chicago?’ I sent that. Next one. ‘You following Ben?’ Literally, I sent that at 6:17 p.m. Two minutes later, I get a call from him. ‘The (expletive).’ I answer.”

To St. Brown’s surprise, his message struck a nerve.

“He said, ‘What’s up, man.’ He goes, ‘Hey man. How’d you know? Did that get leaked?’ I said, ‘Nah, I was just messing around.’”

It turned out that St. Brown’s joke had been eerily accurate.

A Strong Bond Between Player and Coach

Randle El had been a key figure in St. Brown’s development since he entered the league, helping the receiver refine his skills and grow into a star player. Under Randle El’s guidance, St. Brown surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in just his second season and has since earned first-team All-Pro honors.

Though losing his longtime coach was bittersweet, St. Brown expressed happiness for Randle El’s new opportunity. However, there’s no doubt that when the Lions face the Bears next season, there will be a little extra motivation on the field.

With so many familiar faces on the opposing sideline, the matchup between Detroit and Chicago just got a whole lot more personal.