Bijan Robinson's deal is done, and Jahmyr Gibbs could be next.
Robinson, who led the NFL in scrimmage yards last season, ended his hold-in Tuesday, Aug. 4, when he agreed to a three-year extension that
averages $22.25 million per season, ESPN and NFL Network reported.
The market-setting deal makes Robinson the highest-paid running back in the NFL and could offer the framework for Gibbs to end his hold-in with the Detroit Lions.
Before Robinson's deal, Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million) was the only running back in the NFL making more than $20 million per season. Gibbs is set to make $3.183 million in base salary and bonuses this season and has two years left on his rookie contract.
"I mean, it’s certainly not going to hurt," Lions coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday when asked if Robinson's deal could expedite a new contract for Gibbs. "It’s not going to hurt, but we’ll see. We’ll see."
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Gibbs missed his sixth straight practice Tuesday as he awaits a new deal that is expected to make him one of the two highest-paid running backs in the NFL.
In brief comments to reporters Monday, Aug. 3, Gibbs said "only time will tell" when his hold-in will end.
Asked if he needs a new contract before returning to practice, Gibbs said, "Nah, it’s not about that," but did not specify what it was about.
Gibbs, 24, has been one of the most electric playmakers in the NFL since the Lions made him the 12th pick in the 2023 draft, four picks after the Falcons selected Robinson.
He has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three NFL seasons, has topped 1,200 yards rushing the past two years and his 49 touchdowns are the most ever by a player in his first three NFL seasons.
With Gibbs out of practice, Isiah Pacheco and Sione Vaki have taken most of the first-team reps at running back in the first week of camp. Vaki, a fourth-round pick in 2024, broke his nose in practice Monday and will miss time, Campbell said, giving Jacob Saylors, Jabari Small and Kye Robichaux more reps until Gibbs returns.
"Look, I’m anxious to get Gibbs back out there," Campbell said. "Every day that goes by, that’s another day that you feel like you miss with him and getting him out here with the guys and him doing his part. But there again, it’ll get done when it gets done."
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What Bijan Robinson's new contract means for Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs
