Dan Campbell: Bijan Robinson’s Record Deal ‘Certainly Not Gonna Hurt’ Jahmyr Gibbs Talks

Bijan Robinson got paid. Now Detroit wants to know what that means for Jahmyr Gibbs.

The Atlanta Falcons signed Robinson to a three-year extension worth up to $75 million on Tuesday, including a record $51 million guaranteed for a running back, according to NFL.com. The deal, first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, makes Robinson the highest-paid back in league history at $22.25 million per year. It also resets the market Gibbs and his camp have been watching from the sideline in Allen Park.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell didn’t waste time addressing the obvious question Tuesday morning. Asked whether Robinson’s number changes anything for Gibbs, Campbell kept it simple.

“I mean, it’s certainly not gonna hurt,” Campbell told reporters, per ESPN’s Eric Woodyard. “It’s not gonna hurt, but we’ll see. Look, I’m anxious to get Gibbs back out there.”

Campbell didn’t stop there. He’s felt the absence every day Gibbs has stayed off the field during his hold-in.

“Every day that goes by, that’s another day that you feel like you miss with him and getting him out there with the guys and him doing his part,” Campbell said. “But there again, man, it gets done when it gets done.”

That’s coach-speak for patience, and Lions GM Brad Holmes struck the same tone a day later. Asked directly about where things stand with Gibbs on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Holmes kept his cards close.

“We’re having dialogue; we’ll see where it goes.” — Lions GM Brad Holmes, via SiriusXM NFL Radio

SiriusXM NFL Radio posted the exchange on X on August 5:

"We're having dialogue, we'll see where it goes…."

Lions GM Brad Holmes on where things stand on the contract negotiations with Jahmyr Gibbs.

📻 https://t.co/1S6vayal9l#OnePride I @JacobHester18 pic.twitter.com/XJD2s0DcTc

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) August 5, 2026

Holmes’ guarded answer lines up with what’s actually happening behind the scenes. According to Sportscasting’s reporting of Rapoport’s on-site update from Lions camp, Detroit is currently projected over the salary cap, with the front office eyeing restructures for Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Alim McNeill and D.J. Reed to create room. A Goff restructure alone could reportedly free up close to $40 million. That matters because a Gibbs extension would add to his 2026 cap number rather than clear space, which is one reason Detroit isn’t sprinting to the finish line. Holmes is also said to be juggling extension timelines for tight end Sam LaPorta, safety Brian Branch and linebacker Jack Campbell at the same time, meaning Gibbs’ deal may hinge on how those other pieces fall into place first.

Where Gibbs Stands Right Now

Gibbs has been present at Lions camp all along, taking part in meetings and walkthroughs, but he’s held out of practice reps for several straight sessions. When reporters caught him leaving the field earlier this week, he offered little.

Asked about his return to drills, Gibbs said only, “only time will tell.” When a reporter pushed further and asked if a new contract was the prerequisite for him practicing, Gibbs pushed back on that framing: “Nah, it’s not about that.”

That answer leaves the door open. Campbell has previously mentioned a minor back issue involving Gibbs, which suggests physical maintenance could be part of the equation alongside the contract standoff — not a full explanation on its own, but a detail worth weighing before assuming this is purely a money standoff.

Despite the holdout, Gibbs has stayed connected to the building. He’s been spotted on the Meijer Performance Center sideline in a gray Lions hoodie, chatting with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Jared Goff between periods.

Gibbs and Robinson Are Talking, Too

The two backs, both first-round picks from the 2023 draft class, have leaned on each other through parallel contract fights this summer. Gibbs has embraced the comparisons rather than shied away from them, according to ClutchPoints.

“We talk a lot. We’re in the same conversation,” Gibbs said. “The Bijan-Gibbs debate is actually cool to see. It helps us both out, and we are always trying to compete against each other.”

That competitive framing cuts both ways now. With Robinson’s $22.25 million-a-year benchmark locked in, Gibbs’ camp has a clear number to work past. Since entering the league in 2023, Gibbs has piled up 5,029 yards from scrimmage and 49 total touchdowns, production that squarely puts him in the same tier of the negotiation.

Why This Is Taking Longer Than Robinson’s Deal

Rapoport initially described the Lions-Gibbs conversations as less active than the Falcons-Robinson talks in the days leading up to Robinson’s signing, adding that neither back was expected to return to practice until there was real movement. Campbell, for his part, offered little more than “This will kind of continue. It’ll come as it comes” when pressed on it.

More recent reporting suggests that gap is closing. Rapoport has since described the Lions-Gibbs talks as genuinely active, telling reporter Brad Galli there’s no internal debate in Detroit about whether Gibbs has earned a new deal. The hold-up appears tied more to Detroit’s broader cap math — LaPorta, Branch and Jack Campbell all sitting in the same extension queue — than to any real disagreement over Gibbs’ value.

For now, Detroit’s message is consistent: no urgency, no drama, just a process playing out in real time. Whether that patience holds once the preseason opener arrives will say a lot about how close the two sides actually are.