Projecting the Lions’ Path to a record-setting Jack Campbell extension and why they need it done fast
The Lions need to act fast on Campbell’s deal
The Detroit Lions are going to have to get some extensions done this offseason. The good thing, even though it’s also a bad thing, is that the injuries to Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch theoretically pushed off two of the big extensions the Lions had to make. Now the Lions really have to focus on getting things done for Jack Campbell and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Today, we’re going to focus on Campbell first because he needs to have his done first. The Lions can buy some time with Gibbs. They’re not going to want to buy time for Campbell, though. They need this done before May 1st. Why, because that’s the deadline by which they have to choose to pick up his fifth-year option or not.
Make no mistake, the Lions should not want to do that. The big reason is that Campbell made the Pro Bowl this year, and he bumped that fifth-year option from $16 million to $23 million. Declining the fifth-year option allows the Lions to get him set up with a big contract, and they can make it up to him there.
The thing is, it’s going to be a big one. Campbell is likely to be the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history. At least until he gets passed up by someone else, which usually happens pretty fast in this league. Let’s take a look at what that deal could look like.
Jack Campbell extension projection
The deal will be a four-year extension worth $104 million, with $78 million of that guaranteed with an AAV of $26 million. Here’s the year-by-year breakdown:
| Year | Contract Status | Base Salary | Bonus Proration | Cap Hit | Dead Money if Cut |
|---|
| 2026 | Rookie deal (YR4) | $2.7 million | — | $2.7 million | $0 |
| 2027 | Extension Year 1 | $1.5 million | $10.4 million | $11.9 million | $62.4M |
| 2028 | Extension Year 2 | $6.5 million | $10.4 million | $16.9 million | $52.0M |
| 2029 | Extension Year 3 | $18.0 million | $10.4 million | $28.4 million | $41.6M |
| 2030 | Extension Year 4 | $22.0 million | $10.4 million | $32.4 million | $31.2M |
| 2031 | Void Year | — | $10.4 million | $10.4 million | $10.4M |
Ok, you’ll notice a few things here. The cap hits are low up front, and the dead money is really high. This is how the Lions have been doing their deals in the last few years. The idea is to keep the cap hits low, and then the void year at the end allows them to restructure the deal later or do another extension. It’s kicking the can down the road a bit, but it allows the Lions to stay out of cap trouble and make deals with free agents if they so choose to.
This deal would put Campbell above Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith. By the way, they might want to get it done before the Jaguars get their deal done for Devon Lloyd. That way, they set the market in exchange for the market getting set for them.
