Now that Jahmyr Gibbs has his extension, it answers one question for the Lions and creates two massive ones
Jahmyr Gibbs got paid. That answers the biggest question hanging over the Detroit Lions… but it immediately creates two more that could shape the franchise for years to come.
The Detroit Lions have made it official. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs has signed a 3-year extension worth up to $75.75 million. Gibbs will receive $51.5 million guaranteed on the deal. Absolutely gigantic. The Lions locked up one of the best young running backs in the NFL, and now the conversation shifts to how Detroit handles the rest of its core.
Gibbs returned to practice on Thursday, though it was a limited appearance. He took some reps during walkthrough and then went off to the side with trainers. That was something we understood was possible because coach Dan Campbell had mentioned there was something going on with Gibbs’ back during the conditioning period. It doesn’t sound like anything serious or major, but the Lions obviously want to make sure that’s fully squared away before he jumps into contact practices.
How the deal came together
This played out exactly the way we knew it would. It was all based off the dominoes that needed to fall at the running back position around the league. The Lions needed to figure out what was going to happen with Bijan Robinson and the Atlanta Falcons. They needed to figure out what was going to happen with De’Von Achane and the Miami Dolphins, and then Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts. All of that got squared away, and Detroit basically knew what its number was going to be. From there, it was about figuring out how to structure it, and they got that all in place.
We don’t know the exact contract details just yet, but those will start to come out in the next few days.
Can the Lions still afford Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta?
Now that Gibbs got paid, the real question becomes whether the Lions can get extensions done for safety Brian Branch and tight end Sam LaPorta, who are both expected to receive new deals at some point during the 2026 season.
For starters, let’s talk about when those could happen. I’m not reporting anything here. This is purely a hunch, purely a feeling. But it’s probably going to be similar to the Aidan Hutchinson deal, the David Montgomery deal, or the Alim McNeill deal, where those guys got their extensions while the season was happening. I’m guessing November or December, you’ll see both Branch and LaPorta get their extensions.
The Lions are absolutely in a good position to afford this. We’ve heard so many people talk about having two years of control under Gibbs’ rookie deal. Well, there you go. The first year of Gibbs’ new extension won’t hit until 2028. Detroit has him contractually under control in 2026 and 2027, and those are both relatively lower cap hits, so the Lions can maneuver things nicely.
Based on how the Lions have structured their other extensions, the 2028 cap hit will be a lower one as well. The 2029 number will be higher but still kind of low. It’s those 2029 and 2030 cap hits where things are going to get really big. But by then, the Lions are probably going to want to extend him again or do a restructure of some sort.
What kind of deals are Branch and LaPorta looking at?
I would not be super concerned about either one of those extensions getting done. I think they’re both in line for big deals, but I don’t know if they’re going to be market-setting deals. Maybe LaPorta. I don’t know about Branch. That’s a big deal for Branch, and I’m sure he’s going to get a really big one, maybe top three or four paid safety in the league. But I don’t know if he’s going to be the highest-paid safety in the league.
Same thing with LaPorta. Somebody at some point is going to get to that $20 million a year range for tight ends. I think LaPorta could potentially be that guy, but we’ll find out soon enough.
Nothing really matters on the Gibbs deal until we see the details, and nothing really matters until 2028 unless the Lions restructured his cap hit this year. They’re more than likely going to try to get him some guaranteed money up front. But Gibbs has got his deal, everybody can stop freaking out, and the Lionsj are in full go mode. Let’s see what happens.
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