Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $67.5 million on August 6, 2026, a deal that includes $51.5 million guaranteed and can reach $75.75 million with incentives. At $22.5 million per year in new money, it is the highest average annual value ever paid to a running back, ESPN reported.
What the deal is worth
The $22.5 million average annual value moves Gibbs past three backs who reset the position earlier this year. Atlanta's Bijan Robinson signed a three-year extension with $51 million guaranteed on August 5 at $22.25 million per year. Indianapolis gave Jonathan Taylor a two-year, $44 million extension, an AAV of $22 million. Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley sits fourth at $20.6 million.
The reporting on the total carries two figures. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport described the agreement as a three-year deal worth up to $75.75 million; CBS Sports and ESPN reported the base at $67.5 million, with $75.75 million as the ceiling once incentives are counted. Both describe the same contract — the gap is base value versus maximum value, and the record is set on the $67.5 million base.
Who Gibbs is
Gibbs, 24, was the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Alabama, where he transferred after two seasons at Georgia Tech. He is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and set a Detroit franchise record with 20 touchdowns in 2024, a year in which he was also named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. Through 2025 he has 3,580 rushing yards and 39 rushing touchdowns on 675 carries, plus 181 receptions for 1,449 yards and 10 more scores, per his career record.
The Lions released 2024 first-round pick Terrion Arnold in June, hours after his bond hearing.
The wider extension wave
Gibbs's deal is the fourth extension signed leaguewide in the first week of August. Baltimore signed Zay Flowers to a four-year, $140 million deal with $108 million guaranteed and Chicago signed Darnell Wright to a four-year, $116 million extension, both on August 5. Those deals sit well above Gibbs's in total value. His $22.5 million average annual value clears the previous high, Robinson's $22.25 million, by $250,000.
Source: ESPN, CBS Sports
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