Amon-Ra St. Brown Leads Lions to Munich as Germany's Top Jersey Seller

The Detroit Lions travel to Munich this weekend to face the New England Patriots, bringing wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown back to the country where his mother is from. The 27-year-old returnee serves as a primary face for the NFL in its European expansion. Sunday's contest marks the sixth regular-season game played in Germany. Alexander Steinforth, the general manager of NFL Germany, described the matchup as a perfect fit for St. Brown.

St. Brown's connection to Germany dates back to his childhood. He grew up in California but spent many summers with his maternal grandparents in Leverkusen. As a teenager, he played for the German Under-19 national team. In the 2015 European championship semifinal in Dresden, he faced France. His quarterback at the time, Jan Weinreich, recalled a specific play from that game. St. Brown ran a wheel route and was fully covered. Weinreich threw the ball anyway. St. Brown jumped and caught it. The corner defender landed on his back, allowing St. Brown to walk into the end zone. Weinreich, who now covers the NFL for German broadcaster RTL, said he could see St. Brown was a special player even then.

The team won that semifinal but lost the final to Austria. Weinreich noted that St. Brown still gets upset when thinking about that loss. St. Brown's brothers also played for the youth team. Osiris St. Brown joined him in Dresden. Their older brother Equanimeous did not play because he had already committed to Notre Dame. Weinreich said the brothers brought intensity and a different competitive standard to the squad.

St. Brown speaks fluent German and used the language in a recent interview with RTL. The video of that interview has received more than 3 million views on Instagram. He expressed excitement about the upcoming trip. He told RTL he is eager to share traditional foods with his teammates. He specifically mentioned schnitzel, sauerkraut, currywurst, and fries with mayonnaise.

The NFL reports that St. Brown's jersey is the top seller in Germany this season. Jaxon Smith-Njigba of Seattle ranks second. Josh Allen, Drake Maye, and Jordan Love follow in the standings. St. Brown was drafted by Detroit in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in four consecutive seasons. His playing style is described by local fans as agile rather than clunky.

At a temporary Lions merchandise shop in Munich's Old Town section, adult-sized jerseys for St. Brown, Jared Goff, and Aidan Hutchinson are priced at 125 euros. That is approximately 138 US dollars. Alex Miklos, a local fan who picked up American football a few years ago, visited the shop. He cited St. Brown's no-hands headstand after a touchdown against the Packers in 2024 as a reason he likes the player. Steinforth called St. Brown the ambassador driving football interest in the region. He said St. Brown is involved in how the game is positioned for marketing in Germany.