Lions, Jahmyr Gibbs Agree To Extension

Gibbs and the Lions agreed to a three-year, $67.5MM extension, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Detroit guaranteed Gibbs $51.5MM. These terms are nearly identical to where the Falcons went for Bijan Robinson. Whereas Atlanta gave Robinson a three-year, $66.75MM deal with $51MM guaranteed, Gibbs — as often is the case in modern NFL contract work — used his 2023 draft classmate’s deal as a springboard. The deal can max out at $75.75MM, Schefter adds.

The NFL now has three backs earning more than $20MM per year. Saquon Barkley broke new ground after his dominant 2024 Eagles season, scoring a two-year deal worth $20.6MM. Robinson took aim at that, with the salary cap climbing by more than $21MM this offseason, and moved the bar past $22MM per year. Jonathan Taylor, who entered the league three years before Gibbs and Robinson, agreed to a two-year deal worth $44MM. Going last, Gibbs now tops both as a new RB salary tier has formed.

A recent report suggested the Falcons and Robinson were closer than the Lions and Gibbs. Both of the RBs were holding in, a common 2020s tactic when negotiations are ongoing. Following the Robinson extension news, though, Gibbs indicated earlier today his extension was close. Hours later, the Lions will finally authorize a running back guarantee that tops Barry Sanders‘ final deal.

In terms of veteran contracts, no Lions RB had cleared Sanders’ 1997 bar of guaranteed money. The Detroit legend secured $11.5MM on a six-year, $33.5MM extension before what turned out to be his penultimate season. David Montgomery, as the cap is now in a different stratosphere compared to where it was in the ’90s, signed for more money per year than the all-time great. But neither of his deals topped Sanders’ in guarantees. Only Gibbs’ rookie deal ($17.85MM) brought more guaranteed.

The Lions had also seen a host of their early-round draftees not see extensions in the post-Sanders period. Kevin Jones, Kevin Smith, Jahvid Best, Kerryon Johnson and D’Andre Swift were first- or second-round picks that became one-contract players in Detroit. The Lions traded Swift two days after drafting Gibbs 12th overall — a move many criticized due to positional value, as the team drafted off-ball LB Jack Campbell six picks later — but saw a significant backfield talent boost upon doing so.

Gibbs, 24, zoomed onto the scene as an overqualified Montgomery sidekick as a rookie. The Lions’ “Sonic and Knuckles” duo revitalized their run game, being aided by a strong offensive line, and powered the team to a 13-4 record and the franchise’s first NFC championship game in 33 years. Gibbs took big steps forward after his rookie season, flirting with 2,000 scrimmage yards in each of his next two campaigns. Even as Detroit’s line has taken some hits in recent years, Gibbs has not finished a season with a yards-per-carry clip south of 5.0.

Going 3-for-3 in Pro Bowl nods, Gibbs thrived in his early-career Alvin Kamara-like role. Like the Saints standout, Gibbs overtook the between-the-tackles runner as his team’s lead back. Gibbs zoomed to 1,412 rushing yards and led the NFL with 20 touchdowns in 2024, helping the Lions complete a 15-2 season that booked them their first No. 1 seed since the NFL introduced home-field advantage in 1975. With Montgomery drifting into the periphery in 2025, Gibbs 1,839 scrimmage yards and 18 TDs, doing so despite the Lions feeling the effects of Ben Johnson‘s move to Chicago.

That positioned Gibbs, whose receiving talent has produced 1,133 yards over the past two seasons, alongside Robinson for a monster extension. The Lions have not been shy about paying first-rounders with multiple years of control remaining. GM Brad Holmes got the ball rolling here with the then-record-setting Penei Sewell deal in 2024, and he paid Aidan Hutchinson months after exercising the pass-rushing standout’s fifth-year option. Sandwiched in between those deals: a Jameson Williams payday finalized just before his fourth season. The Lions declined Campbell’s, as that is now standard NFL procedure with off-ball LB options, but circled back with an extension soon after. Two members of the Lions’ impact 2023 draft class are now signed to big-ticket second contracts.

While the Lions have taken care of their first-rounders from that 2023 draft, they still have Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch entering contract years. In addition to the lot of first-round cogs the Holmes-era Lions have paid, the team has been active on the extension front over the past three years. The Lions have also extended Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Alim McNeill and Kerby Joseph. The team had extended Montgomery in 2024 but traded him to the Texans in March, with Gibbs having relegated the veteran bruiser to clear backup duty.

This deal will tie Gibbs to the Lions through the 2030 season. Because Detroit picked up Gibbs’ fifth-year option, his rookie deal already ran through 2027. At a position with a short lifespan, Gibbs and Robinson did well to lock in big money before Year 4. Each had an age-24 season to market, and they marketed those effectively. Gibbs may be a better bet to have a longer prime. Alabama only gave him 383 carries; Robinson took 539 at Texas.

The Lions have now capitalized on two depressed markets, as Campbell became the second-highest-paid ILB — on a market that has barely seen its ceiling move since 2021. Running back, despite the doom-and-gloom 2023 offseason that brought high-profile backs to conduct a state of the union-like Zoom meeting, has seen its ceiling rise by $6MM-plus since that grim offseason.

After Christian McCaffrey‘s 2020 Panthers extension stood atop the list for four-plus years, teams began to see value in paying backs again — now that the cap is soaring. RB contracts throughout history have represented monstrous cap percentages; four — including Sanders’ 1997 accord — covered more than 14% of a team’s cap. No back since McCaffrey’s 2020 extension has even signed for 8% of the cap, highlighting present value in paying top-tier RBs.

Holmes has expressed interest in paying both LaPorta and Branch, though we heard months ago a Branch extension is unlikely to arrive this year due to the All-Pro safety’s Achilles tear. The Lions have also shown a willingness under Holmes to pay players in-season, as the McNeill and Hutchinson re-ups remind. Week 1 should not be viewed as a deadline in the cases of LaPorta and Branch.