It’s been eerily quiety when it comes to a potential contract extension for Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested the silence could break very soon.
In an interview with local Detroit sports reporter Brad Galli, Schefter said there’s buzz about a Gibbs extension coming down the pike in the next couple weeks—with not as much known about a potential Sam LaPorta extension.
“I think the Gibbs thing could be relatively quick, whatever that is,” Scheter told Galli. “And,
LaPorta, I haven’t heard as much on, but I think they’ll be moving in the running back market in the coming week plus.”
Lions general manager Brad Holmes has been very proactive when it comes to signing Detroit’s young, core players. We’ve already seen eight of his draft picks—Penei Sewell, Alim McNeill, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Derrick Barnes, Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams, Kerby Joseph, and Jack Campbell—receiving significant extensions, and those deals were typically done well before their rookie deals expired.
Gibbs has two years remaining on his rookie contract after the Lions exercised his fifth-year option earlier this offseason. But despite that extra cushion, Holmes has expressed publicly an interest in signing Gibbs to a long-term deal—along with Campbell (who got his extension already), LaPorta, and Brian Branch.
Gibbs is the most logical player to be next in line for his extension. LaPorta and Branch are returning from injury, while Gibbs is coming off another fantastic season. He has now found the end zone at least 10 times in three consecutive seasons, and in the last two seasons alone, Gibbs has 2,635 rushing yards, 29 rushing touchdowns, 1,133 receiving yards, and nine receiving touchdowns.
It’s unclear how much Gibbs is set to make on a new contract, but this offseason saw a few big-time running backs set the market. Devon Achane got a four-year, $64 million extension ($16 million per year) and Breece Hall got three years, $43.5 million ($14.5M/year). The top of the market still belongs to Saquon Barkley (two years, $41.2M — $20.6M per year) and Christian McCaffrey (two years, $38M — $19M per year).
In the meantime, Lions veterans reported to Allen Park on Tuesday for the start of training camp. We’ll see if Gibbs takes the field with a new deal or not on Wednesday.
