The Detroit Lions have not yet exercised Jahmyr Gibbs' fifth-year option, leaving one of their most important young players without a decision as the May 1 deadline approaches. General manager Brad Holmes said the team has already discussed the matter, but no move has been made.
Holmes said, "We haven’t yet [exercised the options], but we’ve already had discussions about both of them," referring to Gibbs and fellow 2023 first-round pick Jack Campbell. The clock matters because the Lions must decide by May 1 whether to pick up Gibbs' option for 2027, a step that would keep him under team control longer before any extension talks become more immediate.
That timeline has drawn attention because a long-term deal for Gibbs would almost certainly reset the running back market. He has emerged as one of the league's most dynamic young backs since Detroit took him in the 2023 draft, and the value of his next contract is already part of the conversation around the position.
The issue picked up more noise on Monday's episode of PFT Live, when Mike Florio used the pending decision on Bijan Robinson's fifth-year option to make a broader point about players in Gibbs' spot. Florio said, "I ain’t showing up for the off season program if I’m Bijan Robinson. Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs — do not enter the facility," then added, "Do not pick up a weight. Do not put on a cleat. Do not do anything until you get your second contract. That’s a no-brainer."
Florio said the Falcons had already picked up Robinson's option and argued that both backs should be protected from risk until they secure second contracts. "I’m sorry, Falcons fans, Lions fans, you just want everything to be fine," he said. "Well, the sooner your organizations takes care of these guys, then it will all be fine because they both deserve massive market-level paydays and they should take zero risk--zero risk--with their health now or in the future until they get those contracts."
For Detroit, the immediate question is narrower than the larger debate Florio raised. The Lions do not need to settle Gibbs' future today, but they do need to decide before May 1 whether to exercise the option that would keep the running back under contract and push the bigger financial reckoning closer. If they do not, the conversation around Gibbs, Campbell and the rest of their 2023 first-round class moves into a different, more expensive phase.