A SMIRK CREPT across the face of Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs as he emptied out his locker in early January.
His stall was filled with his custom-made Air Jordan cleats, game-worn jerseys, gloves as well as other personal items and memorabilia from the season.
It was a bittersweet moment for the third-year back. A day before, he capped off another outstanding campaign, accounting for 1,839 scrimmage yards (fifth most in the NFL) and 18 touchdowns (second most).
Gibbs earned Pro Bowl honors for the third straight season. But the numbers and awards weren’t enough to rescue the Lions from missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022 — the year before Detroit selected Gibbs 12th. He also saw his performance tail off in the final six games of the season.
“Disappointing for sure,” Gibbs said of the Lions’ finish. “We always have hopes to make it to the Super Bowl, and if not that, at least make the playoffs, and we didn’t get either.”
Few players in the NFL’s long history have had a better start to their career than the 23-year-old Gibbs. His 49 touchdowns through his first three seasons broke a record that was previously held by another Lions running back, Barry Sanders (47). The rest of the top 10 is a who’s who of Hall of Famers: Gale Sayers, Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell, Randy Moss, Marcus Allen, Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice.
Since entering the league, Gibbs is seventh among all running backs with 3,580 yards, third in scrimmage yards behind only Baltimore Ravens back Derrick Henry and Atlanta Falcons star Bijan Robinson, and his 5.3 yards per carry over that span ranks second among all backs.
But Gibbs says he’s still not satisfied. As he cleaned out his locker, a reporter asked him if fans had seen the best version of him yet. Gibbs, who is normally quiet and mild-mannered, responded swiftly.
“Nah. I don’t think so,” Gibbs told ESPN. “Me personally, I could’ve done a lot of stuff throughout the year to get us out of some holes.”
Still, what Gibbs has done thus far has set up a tricky situation for the franchise. The Lions have followed through on their stated commitment to award homegrown stars with lucrative contract extensions the past three years — re-upping with the likes of All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and safety Kerby Joseph, among others. Gibbs is next in line and could command a contract extension that could reset the market at the position. But the rising cost of the Lions’ roster and the relatively short shelf life of running backs will likely weigh on the Lions’ decision — one they might not be in a rush to make.
But for now, Gibbs is focusing on what he can control — returning better than ever in 2026.
“I think it could be a good thing. That’s how I look at it as a positive,” Gibbs said of the season’s frustrating end. “You learn from it. Learn as much as we can and fix mistakes going forward.”
IN THE IMMEDIATE aftermath of the Lions’ emotional 19-16 victory over the playoff-bound Chicago Bears in the season finale, Gibbs — along with Lions quarterback Jared Goff — was unaware of his latest milestone.
After logging 113 scrimmage yards (80 rushing, 33 receiving), including a 15-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, Gibbs tied Moss (31) and Sanders (31) for the most games with a touchdown in a player’s first three seasons.
“Barry Sanders had more than 31 games with a touchdown, right? Oh, in his first three seasons? Got it…” Goff said, while interacting with reporters in the visitors locker room.
As he dressed at his locker alongside Goff after beating the Bears, Gibbs appeared numb to his historic feats in 2025. His 69-yard score to beat the Giants in overtime in Week 12 had also made him the seventh player with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in each of his first three career seasons, and the first since Adrian Peterson (2007-09).
“Oh, I had no idea I had done any of that. That’s cool. I don’t really think about it too much,” Gibbs said.
While Gibbs doesn’t think about his accomplishments much, Sanders has taken notice.
“I am so happy for Jahmyr, and his teammates. It is really incredible when you think he was able to score so many times with so many other weapons on offense,” Sanders told ESPN. “And he is not done yet, I hope. It is a real testament to his ability to consistently create big plays.”
Gibbs’ 3,580 rushing yards are the 22nd most over a player’s first three seasons since yardage statistics were first recorded in 1932, per ESPN Research. He is one of 19 players to record at least 3,500 rushing yards and 600 receiving yards over his first three seasons. Of the 14 Hall of Fame-eligible players who have done so, eight have been inducted.
Only Henry has more explosive runs (rushes of 15 or more yards) than Gibbs’ 54 since Gibbs entered the league (Henry has 62).
Gibbs’ 11 touchdowns on explosive runs are also tied with the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor for the second most in that span, behind only Henry (13).
“This might be a controversial opinion, but I think his future is pretty bright. I think he’s a good player,” Lions OL Graham Glasgow said sarcastically about Gibbs last month. “Realistically, I think that we get a little bit more consistency in calling and then also in, like, playing, I think that he and everybody else on the Lions can end up benefiting from an improved run game from even where it is now or where it was in years past.”
THE LIONS HAVE signed nine players to contracts worth a total of nearly $1 billion since spring 2024, and the organization has the flexibility to hold off on Gibbs’ free agency longer with his fifth-year option. Gibbs will likely aim to become the highest-paid running back in league history, besting the $20.6M annual salary of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, who signed a two-year, $41.2 million extension last March that included $36 million in guarantees and the chance to earn an additional $15 million in incentives and escalators. The Falcons are facing a comparable situation with Robinson, who was taken four spots before Gibbs in the 2023 draft. Lions GM Brad Holmes has continued to reiterate that he will prioritize re-signing players he drafted — which this offseason includes Gibbs, tight end Sam LaPorta, defensive back Brian Branch and All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell — but hasn’t made a decision on the timeline yet. The Lions are currently projected to be over the salary cap but could potentially clear a ton of room through contract restructures for top earners such as Goff, St. Brown, defensive tackle Alim McNeill and cornerback D.J. Reed. A Goff restructure alone could save as much as $40 million in cap space. Pulling those financial levers could help pave the way for Detroit to sign all four players if it wants. One way is to structure potential extensions with LaPorta, Branch and Campbell in ways that reduce those players’ 2026 cap numbers and create even more relief. A Gibbs extension, however, would add to his 2026 cap number by one-fifth of whatever his signing bonus would be (assuming the new deal runs through at least 2030). “It is a priority because they’re really good players. And look, when me and [coach] Dan [Campbell] first started, we said we were going to take the path of draft, developing and sign our own,” Holmes said during his end-of-season news conference last month. “And I do think that that has worked so far in terms of getting us to this point.” GIBBS’ FOCUS, HOWEVER, is improving on the field. His production dipped dramatically in the final third of the season, averaging 45.3 rushing yards per game (31st in the NFL during that span), with 3.1 yards per rush (52nd) and scoring three rushing TDs over the last six games of the season, per ESPN. Through the first 11 games of the season, Gibbs was averaging 86.5 rushing yards per game with 6.1 yards per rush along with 10 rushing touchdowns. The inconsistent performance was a unit-wide issue. In their first season without offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who left last January to become head coach of the Bears, the offense went from the league’s highest scoring and most efficient in 2023 and 2024 to a clear step back in 2025 under John Morton, who was relieved by Campbell of playcalling duties midseason and fired two days after the finale in Chicago. In his place, Detroit hired Drew Petzing, who spent the past three seasons as OC of the Arizona Cardinals. One of his main challenges will be to fix the run game. Under Petzing, the Cardinals ranked second in the NFL in rushing average (4.92) and were ninth in rushing yards (6,399) over the past three seasons. Though those numbers dipped in 2025, Petzing will try to continue the early success he had in Arizona with the Lions. Bolstering his confidence for the future, 2026 will mark Year 2 of Gibbs’ NFL partnership with running backs coach Tashard Choice. Choice recruited and coached Gibbs from 2020 to 2021 at Georgia Tech before Gibbs transferred to Alabama for the 2022 season. Gibbs has called Choice one of the greatest influences on his football career and is counting on his mentorship to help him take an even larger role in the backfield. “Where he’s at right now, I’ve got to continue to harp on him about the little details. The toughness, the finishing the runs, the seeing fronts, the seeing pressure, to sticking his face mask in there on protection,” Choice said. “But to see what he’s doing right now, it doesn’t shock me at all because since Day 1, that’s how he’s always been.” Gibbs is confident in the Lions moving forward to continue their offensive prowess as he continues to lead the ground attack, and his teammates are just as confident in him. “He’ll be great. I think he’s a great player,” Glasgow said. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders. I think he’s going to do great things.” ESPN senior writer Dan Graziano contributed to this story.
