Jahmyr GIbbs, the Detroit Lions' star running back, just got his fifth-year option exercised by the team. The news, first reported by Dan Miller of FOX 2 , comes as Gibbs is due up for a huge extension before the 2027 season. He'll become a free agent then, and the Lions would likely get a ton of competition to re-sign the phenom.
However, as we saw with Jameson Williams and Aidan Hutchinson in 2025, the Lions are likely just exercising his option ahead of an extension. This buys them another year of Gibbs at a smaller rate in 2027 before they begin paying out his new rate.
Except...this isn't necessarily the "cheapest" option for the Lions, although it's unlikely they care. They prepared for this by keeping free agency as cheap as possible, filling needs on the margins and addressing more dire holes through the draft. Gibbs' fifth-year option is worth $14.2 million, which would put him in the top-5 of highest paid running backs in the league for that season.
Gibbs' fifth-year option exercised by Lions
Gibbs saw his role increase tenfold in 2025, rushing for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns in a "down year." He had his lowest yards per carry in 2025 in his three year career in the NFL and with the Lions, although much of that has to do with how bad the Lions' run blocking was.
With David Montgomery gone, it's clear that the Lions still want to see their offense run through Gibbs. If they can open up their run game, it opens everything else up for Jared Goff and the Lions' talented receivers.
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Isaiah Pacheco, who was brought on by the Lions in free agency, will likely slot in behind Gibbs on the depth chart. However, given his low production in 2025, it's likely that Detroit will be relying on Gibbs heavily once again. Hopefully, with a revamped offensive line, things go a little differently with that plan in mind.
Detroit's cap situation remains in flux, as the team still needs to sign their draft rookies to deals ahead of the 2026 season.