One running back contract standoff is over in Atlanta, and another one drags on in Detroit.
Bijan Robinson and the Atlanta Falcons agreed to a three-year contract extension that will make him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. It is poised to end a hold-in by Robinson that has lasted since the first day of Falcons training camp last Wednesday.
In Detroit, fellow star back and 2023 draftee Jahmyr Gibbs continues to wait for his own deal. Gibbs has missed five straight practices in an apparent hold-in, but has been seen on the sidelines talking with teammates intermittently.
The end of the Robinson negotiations in Atlanta could crank up the heat on the Lions just a little bit. Now that Robinson’s deal is signed, there’s a precedent for what the running back market looks like. It’s on the Lions to get a deal done and welcome their superstar back into the fold.
Gibbs' extension talks drag on as Robinson earns his with Atlanta
Lions head coach Dan Campbell was asked about the Robinson contract on Tuesday.
“It’s not gonna hurt, but we'll see," Campbell said of Robinson's extension. "Look, I'm anxious to get Gibbs back out there.”
Campbell admitted it wasn’t ideal to not have Gibbs practicing, but also suggested there was no need to rush things just because another player signed an extension.
"Every day that goes by, that's another day that you feel like you miss with him and getting him out there with the guys, and him doing his part,” he said. “But there again, it'll get done when it gets done."
Gibbs has been tight-lipped about the extension. When asked if it would take a new deal for him to come back, he simply said “It’s not about that,” and didn’t offer much else beyond “Time will tell”.
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When asked what it was about, he said, “I don’t know”.
He probably knows.
Campbell did mention last week Gibbs completed a conditioning test and had “a little bit of a back” problem, but it wasn’t serious. Gibbs could be deciding to not risk any further injury while negotiations are still ongoing with the team.
But the Lions need him back as soon as they can get him. Running back Sione Vaki suffered a freak injury yesterday, sustaining a broken nose and eye injury after a tackle by safety Chuck Clark.
It could very well be a matter of hours or days before the Gibbs deal gets done. But the Lions can’t afford to let things drag on for much longer if they want their offensive centerpiece fully involved before the season.
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