It was only a matter of time after the Atlanta Falcons handed Bijan Robinson a 3-year, $75 million contract extension with a record-setting $51 million in guaranteed money that the Detroit Lions would follow suit with their star RB from the 2023 draft class.
Gibbs and Robinson had both been "hold-ins" during Training Camp as both sought mega deals. Now they both got them.
On Thursday, the Lions and Gibbs agreed to a contract extension that slightly one-upped what Robinson signed, making the former Alabama star the new highest-paid RB in NFL history:
Last but hardly least: Three-time Pro-Bowl selection Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions reached agreement today on a three-year, $67.5 million deal that could be worth up to $75.75 million and includes $51.5 million guaranteed, now making him the NFL’s highest-paid running back,… pic.twitter.com/eCNXOg5wMv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 6, 2026
It's the second historic contract extension handed out to a former Alabama player this offseason. Will Anderson signed a 3-year, $150 million extension with the Houston Texans back in April, in the richest non-QB deal in NFL history.
Jahmyr Gibbs is now the highest-paid RB in NFL history
If there was any doubt about Alabama's supremacy as RBU in the NFL, Gibbs' latest contract puts that to rest. It's really not even close.
Gibbs and Derrick Henry both finished in the Top 10 in the NFL in rushing yards last season. Gibbs was 7th while the ageless Henry was No. 2. In 2024, Alabama had three of the top six in the NFL in rushing yards: Henry (2nd), Gibbs (5th), and Josh Jacobs (6th).
In fact, Alabama has had at least two former running backs finish in the Top 10 in the NFL in rushing yards in each of the last six seasons. You have to go back to 2018 to find a season where that wasn't the case, with Henry the lone representative that season.
Gibbs' talent can't be summed up by only using rushing statistics, either. He's just a weapon in the Lions' offense and frequently lines up at receiver and catches passes out of the backfield. With David Montgomery being moved in the offseason, Gibbs should receive an even more significant workload in 2026 that could result in him threatening to win the rushing title.
Alabama's running back room hasn't been the same in recent seasons. They haven't had a guy near Gibbs' talent since he entered the draft following his lone season in Tuscaloosa in 2022. But with him just beginning to enter the prime of his career, and Henry showing no signs of slowing down, the Crimson Tide will remain well represented at the NFL level at the RB position.
And things should be changing at the college level, too. 5-star freshman EJ Crowell is a special talent. He should be ready to take the baton passed from Henry, Gibbs, and the long line of elite runners to come before them. How much he plays as a true freshman remains to be seen, but he's expected to bring back a familiar feeling in Tuscaloosa.
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