Detroit Lions running back royalty, past and present, was united in a recent interview with Detroit sports journalist Brad Galli.
Current Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs joined the legendary Barry Sanders for a nine-minute sit down posted on Galli’s YouTube channel.
As Gibbs’ star has continued to rise over the last three years of his NFL career, it’s become nearly impossible not to compare him to the Lions icon. At the very least, it’s hard not to see shades of No. 20 whenever Gibbs stops on a dime and re-accelerates, or makes a defender look foolish in the open field.
And Sanders couldn’t help but say the same – while also putting Gibbs in some other good company.
“I see so many great running backs that have played this game in him,” Sanders said. “Whether it’s like a Gale Sayers, that elusiveness, the suddenness of a Barry Sanders or Adrian Peterson. Just knowing how to deal with that guy on the other side of the ball, those great defensive players, he makes it look easy a lot of times.”
“I see so many great running backs in him, he’s definitely been watching some running backs in his day.”
Gibbs, Sanders heap praise on each other in new interview
Gibbs confirmed as much, but went a little more new-school with his influences. He said some of his favorite running backs growing up were Peterson, former Eagles/Bills star LeSean McCoy, Chiefs speedster Jamaal Charles and Colts/Rams dynamo Marshall Faulk.
But Gibbs clearly holds a special level of reverence for the man who once dazzled fans for the same franchise he currently does. And when Sanders comes to Ford Field to be a spectator himself, Gibbs has happened to put on some of the greatest performances of his career.
Sanders was in the building for the Lions’ Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 that clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed, as Gibbs ran for 138 yards and scored four touchdowns. He was also there to see Gibbs total 218 yards and two touchdowns on Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“He's a legend,” Gibbs said. “He's the best back ever. So whenever he's around, I just have to put my best foot forward and give him a show.”
And Sanders was also present for a record-breaking December night for Gibbs last season. Against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, Gibbs scored three touchdowns in a 44-30 Lions win.
In that game, Gibbs tied Sanders for the NFL record for most touchdowns before a player turns 24 with 44. He later broke it a few weeks later in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sanders, for his part, was glad to see someone on his former team break his record.
“It was awesome. I wasn’t surprised, he was on a heck of a pace,” Sanders said. “I’m hoping that there’s definitely more Barry Sanders records that’s gonna fall here soon. I think that’s the first of many.”
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Gibbs said he didn’t realize he was even close to breaking the record until around midseason, but it was a monumental achievement once he did.
“I wasn't really paying attention, and then they kept mentioning it,” he said. “Then I would have games with three [touchdowns], then zero, then three. I was like, ‘Oh, I don't know if I'm going to get it,’ but then I ended up getting it. And it was just surreal.”
And while every Lions fan has to enjoy watching Gibbs, it’s a particularly special experience for Sanders, perhaps the only other running back in franchise history to become this level of superstar.
“All the many years after I've been retired, we haven't had this kind of player at running back,” Sanders said. “So it is a different experience for me going to the game. Hey, I love Calvin Johnson, love Matthew Stafford— but having this kind of a baller in the backfield, it lights a spark in me, because all my life I've loved running backs.”
Gibbs is the undisputed No. 1 in Detroit’s backfield after the offseason trade of David Montgomery. In 2026, he’ll be a bigger part of the Lions’ offense than ever. The Lions’ goal is to return to contention and earn the opportunity to do what Sanders never got a chance to– bring a Super Bowl to Detroit.
“I’m trying to live up to the standard, trying to be as great as possible and playing the best I can be,” Gibbs said.
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