Jahmyr Gibbs Signs Record RB Extension with Lions: How Detroit Topped Bijan Robinson’s Deal in 48 Hours
The running back market caught fire again this weekend, and Jahmyr Gibbs is now sitting on top of it. Just two days after Bijan Robinson became the highest-paid running back in NFL history, the Detroit Lions responded by handing Gibbs a bigger deal.
The Lions and Gibbs agreed on a three-year, $67.5 million extension that could be worth up to $75.75 million, including $51.5 million in guarantees. That average annual value nudges Gibbs past Robinson at the top of the position, at least for the moment.
This is what an arms race looks like at a devalued position. Bijan Robinson signs, Gibbs signs bigger, and everyone starts wondering who is next. Christian McCaffrey has to be watching. So does Kyren Williams. So does anyone whose contract is up in the next 18 months.
Detroit had two options once Robinson signed. They could hold the line and try to sign Gibbs at a slightly lower number, arguing that Gibbs is in a two-headed rotation with David Montgomery. Or they could pay him what he wanted before the market moved on them again. They chose the second, and it makes sense.
Gibbs is a different type of running back than Robinson. He is smaller and faster, a home-run hitter who racks up big plays as a receiver out of the backfield. His yards-per-touch numbers are elite, and his ability to change games on screens and swing routes is a Ben Johnson creation that outlasted Johnson’s departure to Chicago.
The Lions run a specific offense that requires a specific kind of running back. Their play-action game leans heavily on backs who can catch balls on wheel routes and slip out of the backfield undefended. Gibbs is the perfect prototype for that scheme. Losing him would have forced Detroit to rework their entire passing concept.
General manager Brad Holmes has been consistent about paying his own players. The Amon-Ra St. Brown extension came at a top-of-market rate. Penei Sewell got a mega-deal. Aidan Hutchinson is next on the list. The Lions have built a culture where their homegrown stars stay in Detroit, and Gibbs is the latest example.
The comparison with Robinson is interesting for what it says about how teams value different back types. Robinson is more of a workhorse, Gibbs is more of a specialist. Both got paid at the top of the market within days of each other. That tells you the league is finally acknowledging that all good running backs, regardless of their role, deserve a slice of the salary pie.
Jonathan Taylor also got a fresh two-year, $44 million extension with the Colts in the same window. His annual salary is a touch lower, but he added his own name to the running back pay stack.
For Gibbs specifically, the deal locks him in through his prime years in Detroit. He is 24 and has been remarkably durable during his short career. The Lions are betting that he continues to produce big plays and stay on the field, and they now have the flexibility to keep him and Montgomery paired up in the backfield for the foreseeable future.
Jared Goff has to be smiling. He now has an offensive line, a top receiver, and the highest-paid running back in football all under contract for the next few years. Detroit’s window is wide open, and the front office is making sure it stays that way.
Bijan Robinson had the top spot for 48 hours. Jahmyr Gibbs has it now. The next guy is coming.
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.
