JUNE 4: When speaking to the media on Thursday, Gibbs said (via ESPN’s Eric Woodyard) he is not worried about agreeing to a new deal in time for the upcoming season. He added he is also not concerned about the possibility of Robinson signing his extension earlier. It will be interesting to see how the timing shakes out with those two backs, and the impact one deal will ultimately have on the other.
MAY 30: The Lions have finalized one big-money second contract with a member of their 2023 draft class (linebacker Jack Campbell). Three other notable players from that group are eligible for extensions, including Jahmyr Gibbs.
A payday for Detroit’s lead back has long been on the team’s radar. It would come as little surprise if Gibbs were to find himself securing a new deal relatively soon as he appears to be the next in line for one. There is plenty of work still to be done on that front, however.
During an appearance on NFL Live yesterday (video link), ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported there has not yet been much progress during negotiations between Gibbs and the Lions. Plenty of time remains for an agreement to be reached before the start of training camp, of course. Detroit also has the option of remaining patient in this case with Gibbs under team control through 2027.
A key factor as it pertains to Gibbs will no doubt be the movement seen in the running back market as early as this summer. Fowler noted, to no surprise, a pact averaging $20MM or more per year is likely for Gibbs. Saquon Barkley‘s pact currently leads all running backs with an average annual value of $20.6MM, but the bar could move multiple times in short order. Bijan Robinson is a strong candidate to become the league’s highest-paid back; he and Gibbs have become two of the NFL’s most productive at the position across the past three years.
A report from last month indicated Robinson is expected to land a more valuable extension than Gibbs. According to Fowler, however, some around the league view Detroit’s RB1 as being better than Atlanta’s. That could result in Gibbs moving to the top of the financial pecking order. In any case, the timing of extensions being worked out will no doubt be critical, and each fourth-year producer could prefer to wait until the other signs a deal.
Gibbs split carries with David Montgomery during his rookie season in particular, but he has taken on a major workload on the ground and through the air since arriving as a first-round pick. The 24-year-old has amassed over 5,000 scrimmage yards to date while scoring 49 total touchdowns. Any commitment made by the team will ensure Gibbs remains in the Motor City while making him one of several offensive players attached to a big-ticket deal.
The likes of quarterback Jared Goff, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and left tackle Penei Sewell are already on the books at a large cost for Detroit. Tight end Sam LaPorta is a pending 2027 free agent, and the Lions are also interested in a new contract in his case. Fitting Gibbs into that financial setup will carry challenges, but an uptick in negotiations to work out a long-term pact is likely to take place over the coming weeks.
I love Gibbs but he is not better than Bijan. Not even close.
Bijan is a true workhorse with every bit as much talent and skill as Gibbs but also more power and even more ability to break defender’s ankles.
He’s better than Robinson. But not by much. They both are talented and awesome too watch
Again, no. Completely disagree.
Gibbs is an amazing undersized change of pace back but Robinson is that JT, Saquon level player. It’s not even close.
He’s a lot more than a change of pace back.
He’s a beast but he’s clearly not the same player when there’s no big back like Montgomery to punish the defense.
He can house it on any given play but he’s imo yet to have that James Cook year where he proves he can do it all by himself. It isn’t a coincidence the Lions got better offensively when Campbell took over and started using Montgomery more.
This is his year to fully prove he doesn’t need Montgomery.
Who cares if he does it all by himself? He had the 12th most rushing attempts and third most receptions of any running back last year. The year before it was 12th and seventh. He’s much more than a change of pace back. I would be happier paying a guy who hadn’t been run into the ground, and you should want a capable second back anyway. He’s one of the best, most productive, and most dangerous backs in football. Not being one of the very few guys to carry the ball 300 times doesn’t change that.
Not even close? Troll
No, not even close.
It’s like comparing Warrick Dunn and Marshall Faulk.
Both are great backs in their own right but Dunn was at his best when paired with a bruising back, and Faulk could beat a team in every way.
Imo Gibbs is 1A to Bijan’s 1 but there’s a huge gap between them because Bijan can do everything Gibbs can do on top of the other things he excels at.
With the caveat that Gibbs has seen a lot of tread on his tires in Detroit…the Lions really need to get him signed. He emerged quickly as the most reliable weapon in the offense, and so much of it is predicated on his success. I definitely wouldn’t want him to be the only back going forward, so that they don’t overuse him, but he’s explosive and can make positives out of negatives-or reduce the negatives on a bad play immensely.
Holmes has been good about extending his core. The downside to drafting so well is that he has the enviable/unenviable task of having to pick which ones to pay. I’d say that he’s done a good job being ahead of the curve so far, and I expect something to get done. The possibility of a trade lurks in the back of my mind-and it would be a brilliant move if they get back even a fair value-but Gibbs isn’t the type of back that you can find every day in the draft.
Agreed 💯. The lions are struggling with exactly this.
Future Bear 😁
Who would want to move to Hammond? 😛
I’m sure the Lions and Gibbs will work out an extension eventually. Of course they could always bring back Adrian Peterson and let him have another crack at surpassing Barry Sanders rushing record 🙂
They need to hammer out an extension for Gibby, but pump the brakes a bit on LaPorta. I love Sammy but he’s had a bad back for a yeah and a half now. He’s young still but a bad back will linger on and they need to make sure he’s healthy for the year before giving him big bucks.
If the lions are smart they will wait to resign him. RBs are fragile and Gibbs and Robinson are due for an injury. Let him play out his rookie deal and see how that goes.
Lions are going to miss Montgomery this year
I dont think he is going to be missed as much as you think. They did sign Pacheco. He is a downhill runner. He doesn’t dance much at all. He can be that bruiser guy opposite of Gibbs