The Lions are on the verge of making a huge mistake with Jack Campbell
If the Lions pick up Jack Campbell’s fifth-year option, they find themselves in a world where his contract, that could make him the highest paid linebacker in the NFL, is really clunky and hard to work around
On Monday, Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes had his annual pre-draft presser, and he was asked about the possibility of offering both Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell their fifth-year options.
Holmes says that the Lions have not made those moves yet, but that they’ve had discussions with both players about them. If the Lions do indeed give Jack Campbell his fifth-year option, they’re making a mistake.
Jack Campbell making the Pro Bowl made his fifth-year option insanely large, and the Lions would be better off avoiding it
If Campbell hadn’t made the Pro Bowl, I would say that he is absolutley someone whose fifth-year option should be picked up. But because he did, his fifth-year option increased from $16 million to almost $21 million. That is all completely guaranteed in 2027, and it all hits the cap. The Lions cannot restructure it or maneuver it around without the player’s consent. They’re mostly stuck with it, unless a new agreement is reached.
The Lions’ best move is to avoid that option. Just don’t give it to him; move him to the front of the line on extensions and sign him to a big one where you can still get some guaranteed money attached to it and make it up to him there.
Campbell is expected to sign a market-setting deal and be either the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL or one of the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL. The deal could be something like a four-year extension worth $96 million with $70 million guaranteed and a $24 million AAV. That would make Campbell the highest-paid linebacker in the league.
Not picking up that fifth-year option makes his contract look like this.
| Year | Cap Hit | Dead Money |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | $17M | $72M |
| 2028 | $21M | $56M |
| 2029 | $27M | $32M |
| 2030 | $31M | $16M |
| 2031 (void) | $8M | $8M |
$17 million is a lot for that fifth year in 2027, but it’s not a fully guaranteed $22 million. The Lions could, if they wanted to, try to adjust that. They would likely wait a year and maybe do a restructure in 2028 or 2029 instead. With the fifth-year option, it looks like this:
| Year | Cap Hit |
|---|---|
| 2027 | $21.925M |
| 2028 | $18M |
| 2029 | $24M |
| 2030 | $28M |
| 2031 | $30M |
| 2032 (void) | $8M |
That’s going to make life a little bit harder for the Lions in 2027. But at least they have a little drop in 2028 before it goes back up in 2029. It’s just so much cleaner if the Lions do it without the option.
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