Atlanta Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson just did Jahmyr Gibbs a huge favor by signing a monster extension before Gibbs and the Detroit Lions could agree to one.
Robinson, a first team All-Pro running back and a major face of the Falcons, just signed a 3-year, $75 million extension to stay with the Falcons through 2030 while being the highest-paid back in the NFL...for now.
Gibbs is still holding-in at Lions training camp, and this was a major domino that fans were likely waiting to see fall amid his extension talks with Detroit. Either he was going to come to an agreement that Robinson could bring to the negotiation table, or Robinson would get his payday first while giving Gibbs a blueprint to work with alongside Brad Holmes.
What Robinson deal should mean for Gibbs' impending extension
It was always anticipated that Gibbs and Robinson's deals would make them the highest paid running backs in the NFL this offseason.
They're both young stars for their respective teams, and their production has yet to slip up early on in their careers. Gibbs is also being labeled the "bell cow" of the Lions' offense following the teams' trade of David Montgomery, and that sort of label should come with a contract to match.
Gibbs' fifth year option was picked up by the Lions, making him a Lion through at least 2027. This, in theory, was meant to give Detroit some extra time to work out a deal with Gibbs without the shadow of impending free agency following this season. But, with Robinson's deal done, the clock is ticking even faster towards a resolution for both sides.
Could, and would, Detroit match or up their offer to Gibbs compared to what Robinson received? Right now, they're tied up with quite a few major deals on the books beginning in 2027 - Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kerby Joseph, Alim McNeill, Aidan Hutchinson, and Penei Sewell account for just over $207 million against the Lions' cap already, leaving them just over $66 million to play with that season, per Over the Cap.
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Jack Campbell's contract then kicks in for 2028, adding another $24 million to the mix - and, Hutchinson's deal nearly doubles against the cap. There could be some questions for the Lions regarding just how much they should commit to Gibbs' new deal with these other extensions hitting their books soon.
Due to Joseph's injury woes as well as D.J. Reed's deal wrapping up in 2028, though, there's the potential for some wiggle room for the Lions to work with - Joseph might be released if he's unable to stick on the field long-term, and Reed may be too expensive to retain by the time his deal is up with Detroit.
In a perfect world, none of this matters - the Lions should just see that Robinson got X, therefore Gibbs deserves Y. Of course, the Lions don't really seem to operate that way.
While Gibbs does deserve to get a slightly bigger extension than what Robinson received, it remains to be seen if the Lions are prepared to tie themselves to Gibbs with that much money when they've still got extensions to decide on with Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta. Still, we now have a nice framework through which to view whatever Gibbs' deal ends up being.
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