Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson appear to be in cahoots as the Detroit Lions are still working towards a new deal with their star running back.
Robinson told reporters following his own extension getting across the finish line that he and Gibbs have been in constant communication with one another as Gibbs awaits his deal.
Bijan said he has spoken with Gibbs. "We talk a lot. We're in the same conversation. The Bijan-Gibbs debate is cool to see. It actually helps us both out." #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) August 5, 2026
He added, per Atlanta Falcons reporter Daniel Flick, "I hope he gets the most out what he deserves. He deserves it all."
It felt like a very open secret that these two star running backs' contracts would impact the other. They're unbelievably similar in their impact for their respective offenses, and are both far from their prime years - both just 24 years old, and from the same draft class. Their friendly competition with one another is just an added bonus in this mix...at least, a bonus for Gibbs, and perhaps not so much the Lions or their pockets.
Lions facing another roadblock with Gibbs negotiations through Robinson friendship
With both players rooting for the other to get as much money as they're owed by their teams, there's no chance of Detroit being able to tell Gibbs, "Robinson was worth X amount of money, but we don't view you in Y way." Gibbs knows that he's worth at least as much as Robinson's deal, if not more, and Robinson isn't going to sit there and refute that claim.
Detroit's cap situation is a little precarious as a result of their inability to draft badly in 2023. Gibbs was just the highlight of a class that included Sam LaPorta, Jack Campbell, and Brian Branch. Campbell's already gotten his payday, but Gibbs' number is going to be in another stratosphere.
That's likely bad news for both Branch and LaPorta, who might need to either play out the rest of their rookie deals, or be dealt to be able to pay Gibbs what he's owed. That immediately downgrades the Lions, but you're also downgrading if you leave yourself open to the possibility that Gibbs walks.
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The team could tell Gibbs that negotiations are done for now, and that they'll pick them back up after this season, as they picked his fifth-year option up. So, he's tied with the team through at least 2027, which gives them an extra year to generate more cap space to reset the market again with a new deal. That could mean they're dealing LaPorta or Branch, or another player, to create that room.
It just doesn't feel likely that they'll do so without some pushback from Gibbs, or fans, expecting to see Detroit do everything in their power to lock up such a core member of their future.
With one week of training camp already done, Gibbs has already missed out on valuable time on the field executing a brand new playbook. Any more time missed, and we're looking at a potentially rusty Gibbs to begin the year. A resolution has to be had within the next week or so.
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