Every day of training camp that goes by seems to signal a day closer to Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs returning to practice. The All-Pro running back is in the midst of a significant contract extension. So, he is currently holding in from practice as a way to protect himself. However, there have been slivers of hope coming from his most recent actions at Lions training camp.
He was not on the field at all in the first week of training camp. He passed his physical but was staying in the facility while the team worked. That changed a couple of days ago when Gibbs showed up to practice. He was not dressed to work, but he was present with his team.
Now, Gibbs has taken another step by showing up to practice with full pads on. Gibbs went through stretching and is walking with his unit to drills. He is not working out with the team in the actual drills, but this is as close as you can get to football activity without returning.
Detroit Lions Get Jahmyr Gibbs Returning to Practice at Training Camp
GettyDetroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Earlier in training camp, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Gibbs and the team were not very close on a deal. He also noted that Robinson and the Falcons would likely beat Gibbs to getting a deal done. However, he also said that Gibbs might start to show some movement on the practice field if there is progress, not just if a deal gets done.
So far, he was correct that the two sides were not too close, which is why Gibbs was not showing up. He was correct that Robinson got done first. Now, he appears to be correct that Gibbs is returning in some manner before a deal is done. So, there is a good chance that the two sides are making legitimate progress.
The extension of Robinson and now Jonathan Taylor getting extended as well should make it easier for the team to find the groundwork of a deal.
Lions Will Lean on Robinson and Taylor Extensions To Extend Gibbs
Robinson signed a three-year deal worth $66.75M. He averaged $22.25M per year. Then, there is Taylor, who signed a two-year, $44M deal. That averaged $22M per year.
Considering Gibbs is the same age as Robinson, and they are three years younger than Taylor, the odds of Gibbs signing a three-year deal are higher than a two-year deal. Still, both running backs coming in around $22M should give the Lions a firm idea of what he will get per year. It would be significant if the team raised his salary to $23M, so anything above $22M and below $23M is what they are discussing now.
The biggest thing will be the guaranteed salary. Taylor got $39M. However, Robinson saw $51M in guaranteed salary. Gibbs is going to want closer to Robinson. This might be the toughest hurdle to get over, and where the two teams are apart right now. Time will tell what can get the two sides to finish the deal.
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