On Monday morning, the Detroit Lions declared that left tackle Taylor Decker would take the place of right tackle Penei Sewell in the 2025 Pro Bowl, as Sewell withdrew because of an injury. Subsequently, through an announcement from the team that his replacement plays for, it was revealed that Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown will also miss the Pro Bowl Games because of an injury.
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers is taking St. Brown’s place on the NFC Pro Bowl roster.
Although Sewell evidently sustained an injury to his left knee or left leg during the playoff defeat against the Washington Commanders, the nature of St. Brown’s injury is not as obvious.
St. Brown enjoyed another outstanding season in 2024. He didn’t reach his 2023 totals in yardage and receptions, but he achieved a career-best with 12 touchdowns. He concluded this season ranked second in the league for catches (115), fifth in receiving yards (1,263), and third in touchdowns. He was selected as First-Team All-Pro for the second consecutive season and ranked third among NFC wide receivers in Pro Bowl voting.
Amon-Ra St. Brown withdraws from Pro Bowl Games because of an injury.
St. Brown has achieved significant success in the Pro Bowl Games over the past two years. In 2023, he secured victory in the “Best Catch” contest. In last year’s flag football game, he made 10 receptions for 117 yards and scored a touchdown (thanks to Jeremy Reisman from Pride of Detroit for uncovering those Pro Bowl stats, sparing others the effort).
The reason St. Brown is opting out of the Pro Bowl Games should not be overlooked, as he might be coping with a slight persistent injury. However, the occasion is not worth the risk of something more serious occurring, and he likely couldn’t simply express that he didn’t want to attend. Thus, an “injury” is the formal explanation for his exit. Given these conditions, following an earlier than anticipated departure from the playoffs, the desire to take a break from football for a while is entirely reasonable.
At the time of this writing, quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, Decker, center Frank Ragnow, safety Brian Branch, and punter Jack Fox remain the Lions’ players anticipated to take part in the Pro Bowl Games, beginning Thursday night.