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Lions lock in Gibbs, pass on $22 M Campbell option

4/29/2026

Summary

Lions Extend Gibbs

The Detroit Lions exercised running back Jahmyr Gibbs’s fifth-year option, guaranteeing $14.293 million for 2027, and declined linebacker Jack Campbell’s $21.925 million option, which would have made him the highest-paid off-ball linebacker.
In 2025 Gibbs rushed for 1,223 yards with 13 touchdowns, added 616 receiving yards and five touchdowns, totaling 49 touchdowns.
In 2025 Campbell logged 176 tackles, five sacks and three forced fumbles, earning first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection.

Summary

Lions Trade

The Lions traded running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans for two draft picks and interior lineman Juice Scruggs.
Linebacker Alex Anzalone left Detroit after signing a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The moves, including Coach Dan Campbell’s praise of Gibbs as a dynamic difference-maker, reflect a cap-friendly strategy to build around Gibbs and Campbell while Detroit still seeks its first NFL title since 1957.

History

Historical Context

In 1957 the Detroit Lions, after an 8–4 tie with the 49ers, won a playoff and then beat the Cleveland Browns 59–14 to capture their fourth NFL championship, the franchise’s last title and final championship game appearance. Today the Lions exercised Jahmyr Gibbs’s $14.293 million option and traded David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, seeking youthful depth to finally end the decades-long drought.

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Lions Extend Gibbs

The Detroit Lions exercised running back Jahmyr Gibbs’s fifth-year option, guaranteeing $14.293 million for 2027, and declined linebacker Jack Campbell’s $21.925 million option, which would have made him the highest-paid off-ball linebacker.
In 2025 Gibbs rushed for 1,223 yards with 13 touchdowns, added 616 receiving yards and five touchdowns, totaling 49 touchdowns.
In 2025 Campbell logged 176 tackles, five sacks and three forced fumbles, earning first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection.

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