Predicting Next Contract for RB Jahmyr Gibbs

Will Gibbs become NFL's highest-paid running back?

Dec 21, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the best backs and most explosive offensive talents in the game today. 

In each of his first three NFL seasons, Gibbs, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2023 draft, has produced at least 945 rushing yards, 10 rushing scores and 5.0 yards per carry. The dual-threat back is also coming off back-to-back seasons with north of 1,200 rushing yards, at least 13 rushing TDs and 500-plus yards as a receiver. 

The electrifying, do-it-all back has had a torrid start to his NFL career, and arguably the best start for a RB to his professional career since another Lions superstar: Barry Sanders. In fact, Gibbs, with 49 total touchdowns, surpassed the Pro Football Hall of Famer for the most TDs by an NFL player in their first three seasons and before turning 24 years old. 

Sanders recorded 48 total touchdowns through his first three campaigns as a pro. 

“I am so happy for Jahmyr and his teammates,” Sanders told ESPN after Gibbs broke his aforementioned TD record. “It is really incredible when you think he was able to score so many times with so many other weapons on offense. And he is not done yet I hope. It is a real testament to his ability to consistently create big plays.”

Gibbs has an innate ability to evade defenders, and he is constantly a big play waiting to happen with the ball in his hands.

He has also scored at least one touchdown in 31 games, which is tied with Sanders and fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most games with a touchdown through three career seasons in NFL history.

No offense to Amon-Ra St. Brown or Jameson Williams, but Gibbs is the Lions’ most dynamic offensive weapon. And the thought is that Detroit will attempt to extend the 23-year-old this offseason, just as it's already done with St. Brown and Williams.

A good benchmark for Gibbs’ next contract is the two-year, $41.2 million contract extension that Saquon Barkley signed last March after helping lead the Eagles to victory in Super Bowl LIX. It includes $36 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $20.6M. It made Barkley the highest-paid running back in the league on an annual basis, followed by 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey and his $19M/year salary.

I don't believe that Gibbs, who is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract in 2026, will quite get the deal that Barkley received from Philadelphia. Remember, Gibbs, as the result of being a first-round pick, is eligible for a fifth-year option. And that option for the 2027 season could be worth as much as $14,143,000, according to Over the Cap.

While I believe the Alabama product will not receive as rich of a contract as Barkley, I still believe he will obtain a competitive contract and get paid quite handsomely by the Lions.

At this present juncture, I'm going to predict that Gibbs receives a four-year, $78.4 million contract from Detroit, paying him an average annual salary of $19.6M.