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See the full story · 2 sourcesThe most polarizing pick of the 2023 Draft is now the highest paid running back in the NFL.
The Detroit Lions and running back Jahmyr Gibbs agreed Thursday, Aug. 6, to a three-year contract extension worth $67.5 million, with at least $51.5 million guaranteed, with the deal announced by Gibbs' agent, Todd France, via social media.
The deal could be worth as much as $75.75 million and comes just days after Bijan Robinson and the Atlanta Falcons agreed to the richest running back contract ever. Robinson received $51 million in guarantees on a three-year extension that averages $22.25 million per season, and Jonathan Taylor on Thursday signed a two-year extension that averages $22 million per season for the Indianapolis Colts.
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Gibbs, who has not practiced this summer while awaiting a new deal – he returned for parts of Thursday's practice – has been a dynamo since the Lions made him the surprising 12th pick of the 2023 draft after a trade down with the Arizona Cardinals. At the time, the pick was considered a reach − not because of Gibbs' talent, but because of the lack of positional value of running backs.
Jahmyr Gibbs stats with Lions
In Detroit, Gibbs has proven to be the Lions' best backfield weapon since Barry Sanders.
He has topped 1,200 yards rushing each of the past two years, has caught at least 50 passes in all three of his NFL seasons and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry for his career. Since 2023, Gibbs ranks seventh in the NFL with 3,580 yards rushing, and his 49 total touchdowns (39 rushing) are the most ever by a player in his first three seasons.
Sanders, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and the Lions' all-time leading rusher with 15,269 yards, held the previous record with 47 touchdowns .
"He's electric," Sanders told the Free Press at the Super Bowl earlier this year. "He's an exciting player, electric and just dangerous with the ball in his hands."
As a rookie in 2023, Gibbs ran for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns while splitting time with David Montgomery in the Lions' backfield. The duo earned the nickname "Sonic and Knuckles" for their contrasting rushing styles.
Gibbs emerged as the Lions' No. 1 running back in 2024 when he ran for 1,412 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns, and he had 1,223 yards rushing and a career-high 616 yards receiving last year.
He is set for an even bigger role this year after the Lions traded Montgomery to the Houston Texans for guard Juice Scruggs and two draft picks this offseason and signed Isiah Pacheco to be his backup.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Gibbs would be the "bell cow" of his offense this offseason, but Gibbs sat out the first week of camp in a contract dispute. Campbell downplayed the "hold-in," which has become a favorite tactic of players seeking new deals to avoid the fines that come with a holdout, and Lions players have said they're rooting for Gibbs to "get what he deserves."
"You guys know how I feel and how we feel about Gibbs and what the team feels about him, and I’ll leave it at that," Campbell said on Day 2 of camp. "Listen, all the other stuff, my job is to coach who’s out there right now. And I love the kid but, man, I got a team to coach right now. And, listen, whatever all this at some point here, it’ll get done. It’s going to get done. I’m not even sweating it."
Gibbs, 24, is the latest in a line of foundational players the Lions have signed to contract extensions the past two years.
In 2024, the Lions signed 2021 draft picks Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Alim McNeill, plus quarterback Jared Goff, to multi-year extensions. Last year, the team inked 2022 draft picks Aidan Hutchinson, Kerby Joseph and Jameson Williams to long-term deals after re-signing 2021 fourth-round pick Derrick Barnes in free agency. And on May 21, fellow 2023 first-round pick Jack Campbell signed a four-year, $81 million extension.
Along with Gibbs and Campbell, the team has said it hopes to extend 2023 second-round picks Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta before they become free agents next March.
Branch (torn Achilles) and LaPorta (back surgery) are coming off season-ending injuries but were among the best players at their positions in the NFL when healthy. LaPorta returned to full practice at the start of camp, while Branch is on the physically unable to return list and could return early in the regular season.
So far, the extensions the Lions have handed out to their core players have totaled more than $1 billion, with the total standing at $996 million before Gibbs's deal.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected] . Follow him on Bluesky , X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions make Jahmyr Gibbs the NFL's highest-paid RB with new contract
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