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Gibbs' new Lions deal makes him the NFL's highest-paid RB ever
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NewsDesk
Original post · 7 Aug
Running back money has been quiet in the NFL for a while, but this week it exploded. Three big deals landed in the space of a few days, and by the end of it Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs sat at the very top of the pile.
Gibbs edges out a fresh record
Gibbs has agreed a new three-year deal with the Lions worth up to $75.7m (£56.3m), his agents at Athletes First announced Thursday. The part that matters most is the guaranteed money: $51.5m (£38.3m), which is now the biggest guarantee ever handed to a running back.
That number is what makes him the highest-paid RB in league history. It's a small but pointed margin, too, because he just pipped a record that had only been set 48 hours earlier.
The timing was easy to read. Gibbs had been sitting in meetings at camp but hadn't been on the field, and Thursday was his first appearance since the Lions' training camp opened. When someone asked if a deal was close as he walked off, he held his right arm high and gave a thumbs-up. Turns out it was.
Why Detroit paid up
Gibbs isn't a between-the-tackles grinder, he's a genuine dual threat, and the 2025 season backed that up. He rushed for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns, and added 77 receptions for 616 yards and five more scores through the air.
He also switched his jersey number from 26 to 0 ahead of that campaign. For fantasy players and anyone building season-long win-total or MVP-adjacent bets, a fully paid, locked-in Gibbs at the heart of the Lions offence is worth noting — Detroit clearly plans to run a lot of their attack through him.
A record that lasted two days
The whole reason Gibbs' guarantee stands out is Bijan Robinson. On the Tuesday, Atlanta agreed a three-year extension with Robinson that, per Spotrac, runs through the 2030 season and is worth up to $75m (£55m), with $51m (£37m) guaranteed — itself a record at the time.
Robinson needs to hit multiple incentives to reach the full $75m, but even the base three-year $66.75m (£49.6m) deal gives him the highest annual salary an RB has ever earned. His $22.25m (£16.5m) per year cleared the previous mark of $20.6m (£15.3m) held by Saquon Barkley at the Philadelphia Eagles. Robinson reposted the NFL's announcement, writing: "God this is for you! Blessings. Love this team and this city!"
Then Gibbs' deal landed and quietly nudged that guarantee record past him.
The wider running back reset
These weren't the only two contracts on the move. Colts back Jonathan Taylor got a two-year, $44m deal earlier that same Thursday, so within a single week you had three ball carriers reset the market at different tiers.
For context on how the top of the pay chart now looks, the per-year rankings put Robinson first at $22.25m, then Barkley ($20.6m), Christian McCaffrey ($19m), De'Von Achane ($16m) and Derrick Henry ($15m). It's a notable turnaround for a position that spent years being told it wasn't worth big guaranteed money.
For bettors, the takeaway is simple enough: both the Lions and Falcons have committed serious cash to their lead backs, which usually signals volume and central roles heading into the season. Whatever you make of the spending spree, running backs are getting paid again.
Sources:
We'll fold any fallout from this into the US online casinos thread as it develops.
Gibbs edges out a fresh record
Gibbs has agreed a new three-year deal with the Lions worth up to $75.7m (£56.3m), his agents at Athletes First announced Thursday. The part that matters most is the guaranteed money: $51.5m (£38.3m), which is now the biggest guarantee ever handed to a running back.
That number is what makes him the highest-paid RB in league history. It's a small but pointed margin, too, because he just pipped a record that had only been set 48 hours earlier.
The timing was easy to read. Gibbs had been sitting in meetings at camp but hadn't been on the field, and Thursday was his first appearance since the Lions' training camp opened. When someone asked if a deal was close as he walked off, he held his right arm high and gave a thumbs-up. Turns out it was.
Why Detroit paid up
Gibbs isn't a between-the-tackles grinder, he's a genuine dual threat, and the 2025 season backed that up. He rushed for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns, and added 77 receptions for 616 yards and five more scores through the air.
He also switched his jersey number from 26 to 0 ahead of that campaign. For fantasy players and anyone building season-long win-total or MVP-adjacent bets, a fully paid, locked-in Gibbs at the heart of the Lions offence is worth noting — Detroit clearly plans to run a lot of their attack through him.
A record that lasted two days
The whole reason Gibbs' guarantee stands out is Bijan Robinson. On the Tuesday, Atlanta agreed a three-year extension with Robinson that, per Spotrac, runs through the 2030 season and is worth up to $75m (£55m), with $51m (£37m) guaranteed — itself a record at the time.
Robinson needs to hit multiple incentives to reach the full $75m, but even the base three-year $66.75m (£49.6m) deal gives him the highest annual salary an RB has ever earned. His $22.25m (£16.5m) per year cleared the previous mark of $20.6m (£15.3m) held by Saquon Barkley at the Philadelphia Eagles. Robinson reposted the NFL's announcement, writing: "God this is for you! Blessings. Love this team and this city!"
Then Gibbs' deal landed and quietly nudged that guarantee record past him.
The wider running back reset
These weren't the only two contracts on the move. Colts back Jonathan Taylor got a two-year, $44m deal earlier that same Thursday, so within a single week you had three ball carriers reset the market at different tiers.
For context on how the top of the pay chart now looks, the per-year rankings put Robinson first at $22.25m, then Barkley ($20.6m), Christian McCaffrey ($19m), De'Von Achane ($16m) and Derrick Henry ($15m). It's a notable turnaround for a position that spent years being told it wasn't worth big guaranteed money.
For bettors, the takeaway is simple enough: both the Lions and Falcons have committed serious cash to their lead backs, which usually signals volume and central roles heading into the season. Whatever you make of the spending spree, running backs are getting paid again.
Sources:
We'll fold any fallout from this into the US online casinos thread as it develops.
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