Gibbs Is Detroit's Bellcow Now: Fifth-Year Option Locked, Montgomery Gone, Workload About to Spike

As ESPN reported, the Detroit Lions are exercising the fifth-year option on running back Jahmyr Gibbs, keeping him under contract through the 2027 season at $14.29 million while simultaneously declining the option on All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell. The Gibbs decision is straightforward organizational math: he's already the most prolific touchdown scorer through three NFL seasons in league history with 49, and the Lions just cleared his path by shipping David Montgomery to Houston. Detroit isn't hedging. They're building around Gibbs.

The Montgomery trade is the mechanical shift that changes everything for Gibbs' role. Last season, Gibbs produced 1,223 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 616 receiving yards, and five more scores through the air — elite numbers that came with a backfield partner absorbing a meaningful share of early-down carries. That built-in cap on Gibbs' snap count and touch ceiling is now gone. Detroit's offensive staff under Dan Campbell has shown no reluctance to feed a hot hand, and Gibbs is as hot as they come. Expect his carry volume to push into the mid-20s per game in 2026, with his receiving role — already north of 600 yards last year — remaining a core part of the scheme.

The fifth-year option structure also signals something important about Detroit's negotiating posture. By picking up the option rather than rushing to a long-term extension, the Lions buy time to structure a deal that works for both sides — similar to how Baltimore handled Tyler Linderbaum before he walked to Las Vegas for a record-setting $81 million. The Lions clearly don't want that outcome with Gibbs, and the option gives them runway. What it also does, practically, is confirm Gibbs is their unquestioned RB1 with nothing clouding his usage heading into 2026.

From a prop-betting standpoint, this is a clean, high-confidence workload story. Rushing attempts props, receiving props, and touchdown props on Gibbs should all be priced against a workload that was already elite — and will now be higher. If books open his rushing yards per game prop around 85–90, that number deserves a long look at the over given the expanded role. His anytime touchdown props were already among the most consistent in the league at 49 scores in three years; without Montgomery eating into red-zone opportunities, that rate should climb. The receiving yards line is the sleeper: 616 yards in a split backfield suggests a ceiling well above 700 in a featured role.

The Campbell option decline is a separate, more complicated story — and one worth monitoring for Lions team total and spread implications down the road if he departs. But the Gibbs news is the actionable piece right now. The Lions just handed their best offensive weapon a bigger role, a financial commitment, and a clear runway. Get ahead of the market before 2026 season props are set.