Amon-Ra St. Brown breaks down coach Antwaan Randle El's departure for the Bears
Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown isn't normally known for breaking news, but maybe the 'Sun God' needs to add that to his job title. He was in position to be the first to report that wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El was leaving the Lions to become the new passing game coordinator of the Chicago Bears.
In the latest edition of the St. Brown Podcast, the Lions All-Pro reveals he inadvertently learned Randle El was leaving for the Bears.
'I hit up the group chat, I go, 'El, ain't you from Chicago?' St. Brown said. '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 f***?' I answer.
'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.''
The surprised reaction from St. Brown was a genuine one. Randle El was in line to climb the coaching ladder in Detroit, but he opted to go to his hometown Bears with Ben Johnson instead. No. 14 has no hard feelings for his longtime coach.
'I get it. He's from Chicago, too. So, it's a step up, he gets to be receivers coach, knows the offense, knows Ben. It just makes sense for him,' St. Brown said. 'I'm not upset. I'm not upset about it. I'm happy for him. It's just funny how it all went down.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Why Chicago?': Lions GM Brad Holmes hoped Ben Johnson wouldn't choose Bears
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he was at least hopeful that former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson wouldn't leave for the Chicago Bears job. "Why Chicago?" were among the thoughts Holmes shared with "Green Light" podcast host Chris Long in an interview posted Thursday. "I knew he had interviewed for Chicago but he interviewed for a lot of the other positions too so I really didn't know which way he was going to go." Advertisement Johnson had the opportunity to land with several teams including the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New England Patriots. Holmes said he didn't know Johnson was going to land in Chicago until he'd accepted the job. "I was thinking Chicago probably would've been the last destination, or I was probably hoping that," Holmes said. "I was happy for him. He's a hell of a coach..." Johnson had been with the Lions since 2019, including the last three seasons as offensive coordinator of one of the more dynamic units in the NFL. Long asked Holmes if the team is having to "change the locks" and rebuild the offense with new OC John Morton in a way to make it different enough from what they were running under Johnson.] "That really comes from Dan [Campbell], he's looking to evolve it regardless," Holmes said. "I don't see a lot of wholesale change, but there's going to be some evolution there just because that's how Dan is regardless." Advertisement The Lions host the Bears in Week 2 and will travel to Chicago in the season finale on Jan. 4. This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: 'Why Chicago?': Lions GM hoped Ben Johnson wouldn't choose Bears
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Lions GM Brad Holmes couldn't believe Ben Johnson went to the Bears
Lions GM Brad Holmes couldn't believe Ben Johnson went to the Bears Add Brad Holmes to the list of people who were shocked to see Ben Johnson head to the Chicago Bears. The Detroit Lions general manager echoed some of his players in voicing his surprise when Johnson, the team's former offensive coordinator, took the head coaching job in Chicago back in January. Holmes was a guest on the Green Light podcast with Chris Long this week and discussed the move that he claims he didn't see coming. "Obviously there were multiple jobs that were open that cycle, and so I knew that he had an interview for Chicago, but he interviewed for a lot of the other positions, too," Holmes said. "I really didn't know which way it was going to go. I was thinking Chicago would have probably been the last destination. Or I was probably hoping that, probably." Johnson was the hottest coaching candidate this past cycle and appeared to be the top choice for multiple teams. The Las Vegas Raiders specifically pursued him heavily and, at one point, were the favorites to land Johnson before he signed with the Bears. Seeing as the Lions are a division rival of the Bears, Holmes may not have thought Johnson would stay within the NFC North for his head coaching gig. He, like wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, was bummed that he ended up with a team Detroit will have to go up against twice a year. But obviously, Holmes was happy for his former offensive coordinator and thinks Chicago has a bright mind leading the team. "I was happy for him. He's a hell of a coach, and they have a really good one up there." However, Holmes may still be working through processing the whole ordeal. "It's just a little like, 'Why Chicago?'" he said with a chuckle. Holmes won't have to wait long to see Johnson on the opposing sideline. The Bears are set to square off against the Lions in Detroit in Week 2. Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Lions GM Brad Holmes couldn't believe Ben Johnson went to the Bears
Add Brad Holmes to the list of people who were shocked to see Ben Johnson head to the Chicago Bears. The Detroit Lions general manager echoed some of his players in voicing his surprise when Johnson, the team's former offensive coordinator, took the head coaching job in Chicago back in January. Holmes was a guest on the Green Light podcast with Chris Long this week and discussed the move that he claims he didn't see coming. Advertisement "Obviously there were multiple jobs that were open that cycle, and so I knew that he had an interview for Chicago, but he interviewed for a lot of the other positions, too," Holmes said. "I really didn't know which way it was going to go. I was thinking Chicago would have probably been the last destination. Or I was probably hoping that, probably." Johnson was the hottest coaching candidate this past cycle and appeared to be the top choice for multiple teams. The Las Vegas Raiders specifically pursued him heavily and, at one point, were the favorites to land Johnson before he signed with the Bears. Seeing as the Lions are a division rival of the Bears, Holmes may not have thought Johnson would stay within the NFC North for his head coaching gig. He, like wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, was bummed that he ended up with a team Detroit will have to go up against twice a year. But obviously, Holmes was happy for his former offensive coordinator and thinks Chicago has a bright mind leading the team. Advertisement "I was happy for him. He's a hell of a coach, and they have a really good one up there." However, Holmes may still be working through processing the whole ordeal. "It's just a little like, 'Why Chicago?'" he said with a chuckle. Holmes won't have to wait long to see Johnson on the opposing sideline. The Bears are set to square off against the Lions in Detroit in Week 2. Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Lions GM Brad Holmes couldn't believe Ben Johnson went to the Bears
