Bijan Robinson And Jahmyr Gibbs Stage Training Camp Hold-Ins As Star RBs Await Extensions
The two best young running backs in the league have quietly staged the same protest. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are both present at their respective training camps and both refusing to practice. Welcome to the modern NFL running back economy.
Neither Robinson nor Gibbs practiced on Wednesday. Both are eligible for extensions after their respective teams exercised fifth-year options that push their guaranteed contracts through 2028. Robinson is set to earn $11.32 million in 2027. Gibbs is set to earn $14.29 million in 2027. Those are big numbers by running back standards. They are also underwhelming numbers for players of this caliber.
Both guys have earned the right to ask for more. Robinson is coming off back-to-back All-Pro-caliber seasons for the Falcons and is somehow still only 24. Gibbs is 24 as well and might be the best pure receiver at the position in the league. In a passing-focused era, that combination of skills is a serious market unlock.
The problem is that the running back market has been intentionally suppressed for years. Christian McCaffrey’s number sits at the top, but even that deal was structured with the Panthers before he became a 49er. Saquon Barkley reset the second tier last offseason after his championship run in Philadelphia. Nobody at the position has commanded the kind of Aaron Donald-esque interior contract that a two-way star running back arguably deserves.
The situation feels similar to the Nick Chubb and Josh Jacobs 2023 standoffs, but with better leverage. Robinson and Gibbs are younger. They have cleaner injury histories. They play for teams that have publicly built their offenses around them. That is a stronger negotiating position than what came before.
The hold-in strategy is smart. Neither player is technically holding out, which means neither is fined for missing practice. They are both in the building, in meetings, and getting paid. They are just declining to bang their bodies on the practice field during a contract dispute. It is a labor tactic that has quietly become the standard operating procedure for star players.
Reports indicate the two sides on both deals are still talking. There is an obvious game theory at play. Whichever guy signs first sets the market for the other. That has led to what looks like a mutual staring contest between Atlanta and Detroit, with each front office likely waiting to see the other move first.
Both teams should just pay their guys. Robinson is the engine of the Falcons offense. Gibbs is a walking mismatch for the Lions. Neither team is going to be better in 2026 or 2027 without those two on the field.
Expect one of the two deals to break loose in the next couple of weeks. When it does, the other one will follow quickly. That is how this always works. The waiting is the hard part.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
