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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Jahmyr Gibbs is, without question, one of the best players in the NFL .
He's the engine of the Detroit Lions ' offense and, even at just 24 years old, is already arguably the best running back in football. And 2026 will be the first season of his career where he won't have to share the backfield with David Montgomery, who was traded to the Houston Texans this offseason.
Last season, Gibbs rushed for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns, added a career-high 616 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns, and posted the fifth-most total scrimmage yards in the NFL (1,839). He's primed for an even bigger year in 2026.
Right now, though, he's sitting out practice as he pushes for an extension that would top the running back market. The Lions have already exercised his fifth-year option, keeping him under contract through 2027, but after earning three straight Pro Bowl nods in his first three NFL seasons, Gibbs wants to be paid like a premier back.
Saquon Barkley currently holds the RB market at $20.6 million per year, and Gibbs — along with the Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson — is pushing for a deal that surpasses that number.
Speaking with reporters Monday about the contract standoff, Gibbs was asked when he plans to return to practice. " Only time will tell ," he said. Asked whether he needs a new deal before stepping back on the field, he added simply, "Nah, it's not about that."
Gibbs reported for Lions training camp when it opened last week but has yet to participate in a single practice.
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With Montgomery now in Houston, the pressure on Gibbs is even greater this season.
Detroit fell to 9-8 last year and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022 — a repeat can't be an option, and Gibbs will be counted on to carry much of that load. Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown are still playing at an elite level, but Gibbs remains the offense's most dynamic playmaker, and the Lions will need him at full strength to get back atop the NFC North.
Given how much he means to this offense, it feels like only a matter of time before a deal gets done. But the longer Detroit waits, the more it risks losing valuable practice reps from its best player.
The Lions open the preseason Thursday, Aug. 13, against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium.
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