A teenaged Amon-Ra St. Brown ran a wheel route and was completely covered.
Jan Weinreich threw it anyway.
St. Brown, 15 years old and playing for the German Under-19 team against France in the European championship semifinal, jumped and made the catch.
“The cornerback landed on his (behind). Amon on the sideline was able to walk into the end zone,” Weinreich, the German quarterback, recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. "You could see that he was just a special player.”
St. Brown returns to Germany this week not only as a star wide receiver for the Detroit Lions but also as a high-profile ambassador for the NFL in a major international market. The Lions face the New England Patriots on Sunday in Munich.
St. Brown, whose mother is German, grew up in California but he and his two older brothers spent many summers visiting their maternal grandparents in Leverkusen.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” the receiver told German broadcaster RTL after last Sunday’s victory over the Miami Dolphins. “I can’t wait.”
St. Brown, a fluent German speaker, said he wants to share some schnitzel, sauerkraut, currywurst and “pommes mit mayonnaise” with his teammates.
Sunday’s game will be the sixth regular-season matchup in Germany, a key market for the NFL in its aggressive international push.
“For us, it’s a match made in heaven having him play here in Germany this week,” Alexander Steinforth, general manager of NFL Germany, told The AP.
German players have excelled in the NFL before, particularly for the Patriots. Offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer was a two-time Super Bowl champion protecting Tom Brady. Stuttgart native Jakob Johnson earned praise from Bill Belichick during his time in Foxborough.
The 27-year-old St. Brown offers a different profile — an American who is also German and who makes highlight-reel plays. Drafted by the Lions in the fourth round in 2021, St. Brown has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for four consecutive seasons.
“He is the ambassador that is driving NFL football over here,” Steinforth said. “He’s very involved in how the game is currently positioned from a marketing perspective. So, it’s fantastic to have him in market.”
A recent clip of St. Brown doing an RTL interview in German has more than 3 million views on Instagram.
Top-selling jersey in Germany
St. Brown's jersey is the top seller in Germany this season, the NFL said. Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is second, followed by Josh Allen, Drake Maye and Jordan Love.
“His playing style — he’s agile, and not so clunky,” local fan Alex Miklos said at the Lions' temporary merchandise shop in the Old Town section of Munich.
Adult-sized game jerseys — of St. Brown, Jared Goff and Aidan Hutchinson — were priced at 125 euros ($138).
Miklos, who took an interest in American football just a few years ago, added: “I like the headstand.” St. Brown did a no-hands headstand after scoring a touchdown against the Packers in 2024.
U19 tournament in Dresden
St. Brown and one of his brothers, Osiris, had joined up with the U19 German national team for the 2015 tournament in Dresden. Equanimeous St. Brown, the oldest of the three brothers, didn't participate because he had already signed to play for Notre Dame, Weinreich explained.
“They brought intensity. They held themselves to a different standard,” said Weinreich, who now helps cover the NFL for German broadcaster RTL. “They gave us an edge with their competitiveness.”
Germany beat France in the last four but lost to Austria in the final.
“I think it still bums Amon to this day,” Weinreich said.
