Lions make Jahmyr Gibbs the NFL’s highest-paid RB

As expected, the Lions elevated Gibbs to a true workhorse role sans David Montgomery and he never looked back. He ceded a grand total of three touches to backup Sione Vaki. Gibbs logged career highs in touches and carries. Despite this, Gibbs still cruised past 5.4 yards per carry, consistently gashing the Saints for chunk gains. To no one’s surprise, Gibbs is the runaway favorite to be the RB1 overall this year. He will hold that spot in the Week 2 rankings when he takes on Buffalo.

The Lions are retaining “all” of last year’s play-calling verbiage, and “it was on Drew Petzing to learn the offense,” not the other way around. Goff apparently “had as much of a hand in getting Petzing familiar with the offense as the offensive staff did.” Mays believes these developments speak to the command, agency and autonomy that Goff possesses at this stage in his career. We agree. For those who were concerned about the Lions scrapping the tactics that coach Dan Campbell employed as the Lions’ play caller in Weeks 10-18 last year, it sounds like those concepts aren’t going anywhere. Will Petzing be allowed to add his own elements to that playbook? Yes, we assume so. At the end of the day, this year’s offense could look a lot like last year’s fantasy-friendly unit, though. Draft accordingly.

Gibbs made a brief appearance at practice today. When Lions reporter Dave Birkett asked him if a deal was close, Gibbs gave a thumbs-up before heading into the indoor practice facility. The deal might not be officially signed yet, but it sounds like that should happen any day now. With the hold-in over and a contract in sight, Gibbs remains the 1.01 in early fantasy drafts.

According to Lions reporter Dave Birkett, Gibbs is in uniform “taking reps during the walk/through portion” of practice. He later stepped aside to work with trainers while individual drills were going on. Gibbs has already denied that he was missing practice because of his contract talks, but it’s hard to believe him on that front. His return to practice could mean that he and the Lions have reached an agreement on a new contract. Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor inked new contracts this week, making Gibbs the last domino to fall. All signs point toward a deal being announced in the very near future.

When asked what his absence is about, Gibbs offered a thoughtful “I don’t know” and said “only time will tell” about when we could first see him on the field. Despite Gibbs saying his absence isn’t contract-related, multiple reports have suggested it is the main reason he hasn’t taken the field in training camp. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Gibbs remained sidelined until he either received a new deal or at least made major progress in negotiating a new deal. Rapoport also said that talks between Gibbs and the Lions are “not as active” as the ones going on between the Falcons and Bijan Robinson, who is also holding in while awaiting a new deal. We will continue to monitor both situations until they are resolved, but it doesn’t sound like Gibbs is anywhere close to returning to the field at this time.

Rapoport adds that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Gibbs isn’t at practice until they get real significant progress on a contract extension. Gibbs has passed his conditioning test but is currently a hold-in. Rapoport adds that “it would make sense” for Robinson to get the first contract of the two, but concedes that “it’s safe to say it’s up in the air right now.”

Both Gibbs and Bijan Robinson are holding in to start training camp. Gibbs has two years left on his rookie deal but is currently eligible for an extension and is rightfully looking to cash in. The Lions already committed to him as the centerpiece of their offense this offseason with they traded David Montgomery to Houston. That move gave Gibbs even more leverage, and it’s only a matter of time before the two sides agree to terms. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this year that Gibbs could earn more than $20 million per year. That would put him in line with Saquon Barkley as the league’s highest-paid running back, though he would likely have a longer contract with more in the way of guaranteed money. Though it’s not ideal for Gibbs to miss practice time in camp, with Robinson also holding in, fantasy managers shouldn’t change their approach to the top of the first round based on these developments.

Neither Robinson nor the team can say outright that Robinson is “holding in,” but that’s what is happening here. The same is true of Jahmyr Gibbs, who is also sitting out of practice. Both players are under contract for two more seasons, the second of which is a fifth-year option that has already been exercised by their respective teams. Robinson is coming off another elite rushing season that saw him hit 1,478 yards and seven scores. He also took his receiving output to another level, reeling in 79 passes for 820 yards and four scores. The increase in passing game usage should be enough to make him the league’s highest-paid running back. Saquon Barkley currently makes over $20 million per year, and Robinson will likely exceed that mark when he and the Falcons finally reach an agreement.

No surprise here as Gibbs already took over this role in the second half of last season, which necessitated the offseason trade of David Montgomery to the Texans. The 12th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Gibbs is coming off the board within the first two picks of fantasy drafts this year. He’s set to break the bank this offseason with a massive contract extension from the Lions coming.

Fowler notes that both Gibbs and Falcons RB Bijan Robinson are eligible for extensions right now. Both players will likely reset the market. Whichever player signs second could end up making more money. Fowler adds that some around the league believe Gibbs “is the very best, No. 1 running back in the entire NFL.” Both players are in contention for the overall RB1 spot in fantasy this year.