Brad Holmes Has Another Extension Decision to Make
Well, everyone can exhale now. When news broke that the Lions wouldn’t pick up Jack Campbell’s fifth-year option, there was some justified panic in the fan base. Here’s a guy who just earned First Team All-Pro honors after his 2025 season, and Detroit was seemingly letting him walk toward free agency. Classic Lions move, right?
Wrong. Thursday afternoon brought the news we all needed to hear: Campbell signed a four-year extension that keeps him in Honolulu Blue through 2030. The deal makes him one of the highest-paid off-ball linebackers in the game and proves once again that Brad Holmes knows exactly what he’s doing when it comes to locking up homegrown talent.
But Campbell’s extension is just the beginning. Holmes has other members of that 2023 draft class to take care of, which brings us to the big question: who gets paid next?
The Smart Money Is on Jahmyr Gibbs
For purely financial reasons, it better be Gibbs. Miami just paid De’Von Achane, which sets the market for dynamic young backs like Gibbs and Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson. And that’s exactly why Holmes needs to move fast.
This front office has mastered the art of timing extensions perfectly. They get deals done before other contracts reset the market and cost them more money. Just look at how they handled Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Both signed before comparable players drove up their price tags.
Gibbs is a running back who can do everything. He’s the perfect complement to what this offense wants to be. The longer Holmes waits, the more expensive Gibbs becomes as other backs around the league start cashing in.
Plus, and let’s be honest here, running backs have shorter shelf lives than linebackers. If you’re going to pay Gibbs, you do it now while he’s still on his rookie deal and before the position’s inherent injury risk becomes a factor.
Holmes has shown he values continuity and building through the draft. Campbell’s extension proves that philosophy isn’t changing. Gibbs should be next in line, and if Holmes is smart about it, he’ll get it done before the market moves without him.
Who do you think Holmes locks up next from that draft class, or are we overthinking this and he’s already three steps ahead of us? Sound off below.
