The Gibbs Deal
Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions agreed Thursday, August 6 on a three-year extension worth $67.5 million, with a maximum value of $75.75 million and $51.5 million guaranteed. The $22.5 million annual average makes Gibbs the highest-paid running back in NFL history — surpassing the mark Bijan Robinson had set with the Atlanta Falcons just two days earlier. The deal runs through the 2030 season and officially ended Gibbs's hold-in, which began when he reported to camp but sat out the Lions' first six practices of the summer.
A Wild Week for RB Contracts
What makes this moment remarkable isn't just Gibbs's number — it's how fast the running back market moved. In the span of a single week, three different backs reset what the position could earn:
| Player | Team | Contract | Annual Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jahmyr Gibbs | Lions | 3 yrs, $67.5M ($75.75M max) | $22.5M |
| Bijan Robinson | Falcons | 3 yrs, $66.75M ($75M max) | $22.25M |
| Jonathan Taylor | Colts | 2 yrs, $44M | $22.0M |
| Saquon Barkley (2025) | Eagles | 2 yrs, $41.2M | $20.6M |
Robinson, Gibbs, and Taylor now form a new "$20 million club" alongside Barkley, who became the first back to cross that threshold last year after his 2,000-yard, Super Bowl-winning season. Four running backs now earn at least $20 million annually — a number that didn't exist in the position's contract history before this offseason.
Why Gibbs Earned It
Gibbs's production over his first three NFL seasons is statistically unmatched. His 49 career touchdowns through three seasons are the most in NFL history for a player at that stage of his career, surpassing the previous record of 47 held by Lions legend Barry Sanders. He's also first in the league in scrimmage yards (3,768) and scrimmage touchdowns (38) over the past two seasons, and is only the second player in NFL history — after Nick Chubb — to average at least 5.0 yards per carry in each of his first three seasons.
For the full breakdown of Gibbs's 2023 combine profile against Robinson's — including the 4.36 forty and 33.5-inch vertical that made evaluators grade him as an elite athletic talent even at 199 pounds — see our Robinson vs. Gibbs athletic comparison.
What's Next
With Gibbs back at practice in a limited capacity as of Thursday, the Lions now shift focus to a backfield without David Montgomery, who is no longer Gibbs's primary running mate after his own extension expired. Gibbs enters 2026 firmly in the conversation for fantasy football's overall RB1, and the question league-wide now becomes whether any other back — Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, or a rising name like Bijan Robinson himself — can push the market even higher before next offseason.