We all saw this coming, but it doesn't make it any more reasonable. The Detroit Lions have officially declined linebacker Jack Campbell's fifth-year option, per team insider Dan Miller. They have elected to pick up the option on superstar running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
The option on Campbell would have been worth around $22 million, which is higher than any team would be willing to pay for an off-ball linebacker.
And that's exactly the problem. The NFL dictates that the formula for the fifth-year option price for linebackers includes the pay of edge defenders classified as outside linebackers. Especially in modern football, these are two completely different positions. But this simple rule is the reason the Lions declined Campbell's option.
Outdated rule leads to Lions declining Jack Campbell's 5th-year option
NFL insider and analyst Ari Meirov laid the situation out perfectly, saying, "The option for Campbell was worth nearly $22M, which no off-ball linebacker currently makes. All linebackers—both OLBs and ILBs—are grouped together for the option formula, creating a unique situation similar to what the Ravens faced with Tyler Linderbaum as a center. Campbell now is set to be a free agent next year, barring an extension."
As Meirov mentions, this same rule led to Linderbaum's departure from Baltimore this offseason. Centers and guards are grouped with offensive tackles in the fifth-year option formula, leading to an inflated price tag for interior offensive linemen.
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If Campbell were getting paid near the top of the off-ball linebacker market, he'd be making between $12 million and $15 million annually. Instead, the higher salaries of edge defenders drag the number far too high for Detroit to consider.
The former first-round pick has been an excellent player for the Lions. He's played over 1,000 snaps in each of the last two seasons and finished second in the NFL in tackles last year. Three seasons into his career, he's a key fixture in Detroit's defense.
This is the kind of player that should have their fifth-year option picked up every time. But he won't because of an outdated rule.
Campbell is now set to become a free agent in 2027. The Lions will likely sign him to an extension, keeping him around for the long haul. There's no indication that the player or the team has interest in parting ways. But there's no question that both Detroit and Campbell himself have lost out due to this rule.
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