Detroit Lions name 2024 captains ahead of season opener

(CBS DETROIT) - Ahead of their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, the Detroit Lions have named their captains for the 2024 season. 

Quarterback Jared Goff, linebacker Alex Anazlone, offensive lineman Penei Sewell, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, linebacker Jaylen Reeves-Maybin and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson have been named team captains. Five of the six served as captains last season, with Hutchinson receiving the first-time nod. Hutchinson replaces defensive end Charles Harris, who the Lions opted not to re-sign following the 2023 season. 

Sewell and St. Brown were named captains for the second consecutive season, while Anzalone and Goff have been captains since arriving in the Motor City in 2021. Reeves-Maybin first earned captain honors in 2021 and again in 2023, when he rejoined the Lions after spending a season with the Houston Texans. 

Coming up off a historic campaign that saw the Lions win their first divisional title since 1993 and reach the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1991, Goff, St. Brown and Sewell all received sizable pay raises in the offseason. In April, St. Brown signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension. The deal calls for St. Brown to be guaranteed $77 million, making him the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver. In May, Goff inked a $212 million deal that would see him stay in Detroit through the 2027 season, with an option for 2028. 

In August, Sewell, St. Brown, Goff and Hutchinson were all named to the NFL's Top 100 for 2024. 

The Lions host the Rams on Sunday at Ford Field in a rematch of last season's NFC wild card game that Detroit came out on top 24-23. 

Kickoff is 8:20 p.m. Sunday.