The Lions’ new giant contract for Jack Campbell puts them in a position to have their cake and eat it too
The Lions are paying Campbell more than any other linebacker, but this is actually a really team-friendly deal
The Detroit Lions shocked the world and draft experts in 2023 when they took an off-ball linebacker with the 18th pick in the NFL Draft. Seriously, you would have thought they threw an old lady off the roof of Ford Field with the reaction to this pick.
Here we are a few years later, and Campbell has proven that all wrong. Especially in 2025, when he made the Pro Bowl and became a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career. You had to know at that time that the still just 25-year-old Campbell would be getting a massive deal. Well…
The Lions have made Jack Campbell one of the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL
Campbell signed a four-year extension worth $81 million with $55 million guaranteed and an annual salary of $20.25 million per year.
There was some concern when the Lions did not pick up Campbell’s fifth-year option that they might not be looking to make a deal, and there were some teams out there whose fans were hoping their team would trade for him. But that was always wildly wrong.
At the end of the day, not picking up the option was more about calculations than anything. Because Campbell made the Pro Bowl, his fifth-year option went from $16 million to almost $23 million. That was all completely guaranteed and would have made for a massive cap hit in 2027.
Now the Lions are in a position to have their cake and eat it too. They put themselves in a position where they can now still have available funds in 2027 to go out and be active in free agency, and then restructure things again in 2028 to do the same. While it says Campbell is here till 2030, it might be much longer when it’s all said and done because this contract is likely to be extension-friendly down the road.
Pretty good stuff from Brad Holmes, Mike Disner, and company.
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