The Detroit Lions may have just learned what Jahmyr Gibbs is really going to cost and how they’re now in a race against time
The bill for one of the best running backs in the NFL just got a lot bigger
Going into this offseason, we all knew what the score was. The Detroit Lions want to get some extensions done, and those extensions are going to be pretty big. At this point, the big ones that need to get done more than anything are Jack Campbell and Jahmyr Gibbs. The latter just got a lot more interesting.
De’Von Achane’s massive deal with the Dolphins just changed the landscape of what Gibbs’ deal could look like
Last week, the Miami Dolphins signed the Pro Bowl running back to a big four-year, $65 million extension. That makes Achane the highest-paid running back in the league. I think we can all agree that while Achane is good, he’s no Jahmyr Gibbs. So you can expect Gibbs to top that for sure.
The Lions sort of find themselves in a race against time to make sure that the bill doesn’t continue to go up. Another running back is about to get paid, and that’s Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons. Ideally, the Lions get their deal with Gibbs done before Robinson’s deal is done to make sure they can both take care of their players and make sure they can get even the slightest discount.
So what does a realistic deal look like for Gibbs? How about a four-year extension worth $76 million, with $52 million of that guaranteed and an AAV of $19 million? Here’s a full layout of that deal:
| Year | Contract Status | Base Salary | Bonus Proration | Cap Hit | Dead Money if Cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Rookie deal (YR4) | $2.9 million | $4.285 million | $7.185 million | $25.71 million |
| 2027 | 5th-year option | $14.143 million | $4.285 million | $18.428 million | $21.43 million |
| 2028 | Extension year 1 | $1.5 million | $4.285 million | $5.785 million | $17.14 million |
| 2029 | Extension year 2 | $9.0 million | $4.285 million | $13.285 million | $12.86 million |
| 2030 | Extension year 3 | $14.0 million | $4.285 million | $18.285 million | $8.57 million |
| 2031 | Extension year 4 | $21.5 million | $4.285 million | $25.785 million | $4.285 million |
| 2032 | Void year | — | $4.285 million | $4.285 million | $4.285 million |
Ok, let’s dig a little deeper here. The first is that Gibbs is going to get a little bit of a raise in 2026. His cap hit is going to go from $2.9 million to $7.185 million. The reason we do that is to spread things out a bit so the whole deal isn’t just waiting for the Lions in 2028. He also gets his highest guaranteed money payout in 2026. This is how the Lions like to do it. It helps keep cap hits smaller up front.
Then in 2027, there’s going to be somewhat of a pay raise when the Lions pick up his fifth-year option. That is fully guaranteed and cannot be spread out in any way. The extension then starts in 2028 when Gibbs is still just 26-years-old. He gets a pretty small cap hit that year, so if the Lions wanted to do some deals then, they could. There is a void year attached, so if the Lions get to say 2030 when Gibbs is 28 and they want to extend him, they can. Otherwise, there’s a way out of the deal if he regresses.
In terms of when this might get done, I’d look at June and July before training camp. There’s no way this thing gets into training camp or the season without getting done. Or at least it would be a shock if that happened.
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