Nothing's ever come easy for Kalif Raymond, undersized and overlooked. Unheralded in high school, undrafted out of Holy Cross, largely unheard-of when he arrived in Detroit. Now he's a multi-million player in the NFL. He's a "self-made man" in the words of Dan Campbell, and Raymond might be the only one to disagree.
"Honestly," he said Monday, "I had a lot of help along the way. Family, friends, obviously DC. Two years ago, he put a lot of trust and faith in me, putting me in there playing receiver. (Self-made) is hard to say because there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes. Even the routes that are drawn up, I can't run the routes if Ben Johnson don't draw it up. I can't run around if (Dave) Fipp and DC don't put me out there."
But they did, and Raymond kept rewarding them. He signed with the Lions at the outset of their rebuild, a decent return man with 19 career catches for four teams in five seasons. A spare part. Now he's an All-Pro return man with 95 catches in two seasons in Detroit. A pillar. Raymond signed a two-year, $10.5 million extension with the Lions last week, a payday for a player as deserving as they come.
"It’s a credit to him," said Campbell. "He’s the one who gave himself the opportunity, and he just continues to prove himself. Like we say, he embodies everything we’re about. He’s overcome a lot. He works every day, he’s smart, he’s productive, he’s versatile and he’s one of our guys.”
No one in the Lions' facility works harder than Amon-Ra St. Brown. Raymond might match him. When St. Brown catches 202 balls on the JUGS machine after every practice, Raymond follows suit. When St. Brown doubles down by doing abs, so does Raymond. When St. Brown finally heads inside and dives into the playbook, "I want to study more," Raymond said.
He gestured to St. Brown, still on the field after Monday's practice, and said, "Look at this guy right here! You see him? That’s why I can’t miss a day. If he doesn't miss a day, what excuse do I have?”
This is how Raymond embodies the Lions as we're coming to know them. That, and his unflinching style of play. He's 5'8 and doesn't back down. He's fearless with the ball in his hands, and it winds up there a lot. He led the NFL last season when he averaged 13.2 yards per punt return (among players with at least 20 returns) and finished second on one of the league's best offenses with 616 receiving yards. He caught 47 passes without a single drop.
Raymond has a keen feel for the game. An uncanny ability to see the field. The grinder he is, though, he was blind to his extension. After he turned 29 last week, Raymond said his agent called him with "a birthday present," and I was like, "What could this possibly be?"
"Not a clue," Raymond laughed. "Not a clue. I found out a couple hours before you guys did. So no, I'm just very thankful."
Raymond has felt at home in Detroit since he arrived. He and the Lions were afterthoughts two years ago, pawns on the NFL chessboard. They started making moves last season, checkmating Aaron Rodgers and the Packers with the whole country watching in Week 18. Raymond played through broken ribs that night after getting popped making a catch early in the game. He was later in such pain after hauling in a deep ball and landing on his side that he could barely get up. But he did, and the Lions scored one play later to take the lead.
Earlier this offseason, Raymond said that walking off Lambeau with a winning record, "compared to what we did in 2021, was one of the happiest moments I had." He believes he's a reflection of this town and these fans. In a moment to himself in the team facility a couple weeks ago, Raymond had an epiphany: "I was like, 'Man, I really don't want to go nowhere else.'" Now he'll be here for at least three more seasons.
"I'm proud every day I put that helmet on," he said. "I'm proud every day I put that jersey on. Because this organization, the people in it, the coaches in it, it's not like this everywhere. You got a bunch of gritty guys who bring that lunchpail to work. And the next day, the next opportunity, the next meeting, you just bring that lunchpail and go to work. To have that here, man, it's not like that everywhere. We're surrounded by a bunch of great men and great women."
A self-made man? Maybe not entirely. But Raymond has certainly made it in Detroit, where only the sturdiest players have withstood the Lions' rebuild. As he steels himself for year three, a payday in the bank, an All-Pro stamp on his resume, nothing changes for a player who's earned everything he's got.
"I think that’s who I am," Raymond said. "That’s been rooted in my DNA a long time.”
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