Overview
- ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler said on Friday that Gibbs is positioned to “reset the running back market” and could command about $20 million or more per year, while also reporting that the Lions want a deal but have seen little progress so far.
- Gibbs established himself as Detroit’s clear lead back in 2025 with 1,223 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, and 77 catches for 616 receiving yards, and he will carry a larger workload now that David Montgomery has been traded.
- Both Gibbs and Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson are under team control through 2027 after their fifth‑year options were exercised, creating a narrow window for extensions and a situation where one signing could set the market for the other.
- Analysts project a typical extension would span four or five years and could total roughly $100 million or more, which would eclipse the current running back benchmark of Saquon Barkley’s $20.6 million average annual value.
- Detroit faces a trade‑off between keeping a young offensive cornerstone and preserving roster flexibility, and the team’s recent decision to give Jack Campbell a large extension shows it is willing to invest in its 2023 draft class.