The Detroit Lions have managed their young talent well the last few seasons, and have kept everyone they have drafted that has excelled under contract.
One of the hallmarks of Brad Holmes' tenure has been a willingness to reward players that buy in and become stars within Detroit's program. Arguably the most important defender left to work out a new contract with in this vein is linebacker Jack Campbell.
This season, Campbell enjoyed a career year en-route to his first Pro Bowl nod. His elite play has him in the mix for an offseason extension, but the question is, how much money will he require? It's not an easy answer, but a good roadmap exists within other similar decisions that have been made.
ESPN's Dan Graziano put together a piece predicting some of the next extensions in the NFL. The Lions had multiple players profiled, and Campbell was one of the decisions they investigated. As he explained, the Philadelphia Eagles could have given Detroit a blueprint.
"The top of the market for the type of middle linebacker role that Campbell plays is Fred Warner's $21 million per year. Campbell likely holds some decent leverage, then, because the Lions wouldn't want to franchise him next year if it costs more than $28 million. So, I'd predict they address his situation before they address Gibbs' but after they see what they can do with LaPorta and Branch, who again don't have those fifth-year options."
"Campbell is coming off an 89-tackle, 5-sack season for the Lions. I doubt they'd be willing to go all the way to Warner's number for Campbell, but I could see him settling in around the same range as guys such as Nick Bolton and Jamien Sherwood, who each got $15 million per year on their most recent extensions. Maybe he shoots for Zack Baun's $17 million-per-year average."
The $17 million number that Baun earned with Philadelphia could be a fair deal for Campbell, and a good target for the Lions. It's not as much as the top of the market, yet still represents a good number for a player of his quality and ability. It could represent the best possible compromise for Campbell and the Lions this offseason.
Campbell remains excited for his future with the Lions' defense in 2026
Negotiating new contracts with players always involves a desire to get a deal done on both sides. There's no question that Campbell is a believer in what the Lions have done already, and that was made very clear after Detroit's strong season finale against the Chicago Bears.
Campbell fought hard to the end, and showed plenty of pride leading the defense to a 19-16 victory against the rival Bears. In spite of missing the playoffs. Campbell still believes that the Lions have a bright future if they can make small fixes in the offseason.
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"I am (optimistic for 2026). I feel like the only ones holding us back are ourselves. It's so cliche to say that, but it really is just little things here and there, little details. (We've) got to get them cleaned up. But again, we don't have more time this year. We went out there (in the season finale) and played hard and I feel like for the most part, we did a solid job."
Detroit should make keeping Campbell a priority, and that means giving him a new contract as soon as possible to keep that situation from becoming dramatic. That will allow Campbell to focus on football, and help the defense find the inches they missed in 2025.
What that number is remains to be seen in the days ahead, but the framework could already be there courtesy of Detroit's NFC rival.