Falcons Secure Bijan Robinson; Lions Are Watching

Star running backs Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs have been a two-man race to reset the market at their position during training camp hold-ins.

Robinson crossed the finish line first on Tuesday, as the Atlanta Falcons and he agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract extension, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That makes Robinson the highest-paid running back in NFL history for now, as he surpassed Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

Gibbs, meanwhile, awaits a new deal with the Detroit Lions. Head coach Dan Campbell addressed his star running back’s situation in light of the Robinson deal on Tuesday.

“It’s certainly not gonna hurt,” Campbell told reporters. “It’s not gonna hurt, but we’ll see. I’m anxious to get Gibbs back out there. 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. It’ll get done when it gets done.”

Where things stand is another story. Gibbs spoke with the media on Monday and left things open-ended, and Campbell wasn’t specific on Monday, either.

If the Lions do a similar deal, the numbers are out there. Robinson’s contract extension is considered “a max value,” according to Rapoport, as Robinson will earn $25 million annually, and he receives $51 million guaranteed.

The No. 8 pick in the 2023 draft, Robinson became an immediate star for the Falcons out of Texas. Robinson has monstrous numbers with 3,910 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns on 805 carries in his career, and he also has 198 receptions for 1,738 yards and nine touchdowns in that span.

Robinson has made two Pro Bowls and first-team All-Pro once. He has yet to help the Falcons reach the playoffs, but that could change this season under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.

“There’s no shortage in what he can do for the football team on the field,” Stefanski said earlier in 2026 via the team website. “But, also, the person that he is off the field and what he brings to our locker room and to the question earlier about culture and being a player-driven culture, he’s a driver of that just because of how he attacks each day.”

Atlanta doesn’t just have Robinson as an elite skill player, which makes his numbers all the more impressive. The Falcons have high-level pass-catchers in wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, and Atlanta had a quality running back in Tyler Allgeier last season.

Gibbs likewise has been dominant since coming out of that same draft as Robinson but as the No. 12 pick with the Lions. The former Georgia Tech and Alabama star has 3,580 yards and 39 touchdowns on 675 carries and 181 receptions for 1,449 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Detroit hasn’t relied primarily on Gibbs in that time either, as the team had David Montgomery, who made a dangerous one-two punch at running back with Gibbs before a departure to the Houston Texans. Similarly, the Lions have been loaded with quality pass-catchers in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta.

Now, the Lions may follow suit with the Falcons when it comes to paying a star running back. Atlanta made the Robinson deal work after securing London with a four-year $141 million deal in June and Pitts with a three-year $54 million contract extension in July. 

Detroit has likewise invested in offensive star skill players. St. Brown has a four-year, $120 million deal, and Williams has a three-year, $80 million deal. Gibbs could be next.