The Lions will begin talks with Jahmyr Gibbs on a market-setting contract this week, what that deal could look like
Gibbs is about to get paid big and the Lions get to lock down one of the best weapons in the NFL
The Detroit Lions are at the 2026 NFL Combine this week, looking for their next crop of draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, but there’s a lot more going on right now.
This is a team that has some extensions that they’re officially able to do now, and Jahmyr Gibbs is expected to be the biggest one the Lions get done. It’s also expected to be a market-setting deal that makes Gibbs the highest-paid running back in the league. When is this going down? Brad Holmes was on the Rich Eisen show on Tuesday and gave some indication.
Brad Holmes says that he plans to begin conversations with Jahmy Gibbs’ agent on an extension as early as this week
I know there’s been this thing around the league for a few years that you don’t pay running backs. To some degree, that is a correct way of thinking. But there are guys that you absolutely have to pay, and Gibbs is 100% one of those guys. Because of that, he’s likely to be the highest-paid running back in NFL history. That is, until Bijan Robinson beats him soon after. Which does give the Lions some more reason to want to get this thing done first. Let’s take a look at what the deal would look like.
Our projection for this deal is that Gibbs will sign 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 the 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 |
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 for 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 in the early years.
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.
The Lions are totally protected in this deal, but so is Gibbs. It’s a win/win for both parties.
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