By Bo Underwood- www.sidelionreport.com
Jahmyr Gibbs is effectively staging a “hold-in” as he waits for a contract extension from the Detroit Lions, and he’s having a little bit of fun with it.
Thursday morning, the star running back posted a photo to his Instagram story with the caption “Patiently waiting”.
That is, as you may notice, Lions teammate and fellow Alabama speedster Jameson Williams in the photo. He’s got his hand over his chin and is looking rather pensive.
It seems like a pretty lighthearted gesture from Gibbs. Posting a photo of a teammate might be a good sign there isn’t a serious divide between him and the team.
He does seem to want his money, though.
Gibbs officially reported to the first day of Lions’ training camp but did not participate in any drills. That’s become common for NFL players who want security when their deals are running out. Gibbs is eligible for a contract extension as he approaches the final year of his rookie deal.
Fellow 2023 draftee and all-world running back Bijan Robinson is also “holding in”. It could be a standoff of sorts between the Lions and Atlanta Falcons to see who will reset the running back market first.
It’s probably best to get ahead of it, since whatever team extends their guy first will likely have to pay a bit less than the other.
However it goes down, head coach Dan Campbell doesn’t seem worried about getting the deal done with Gibbs and his representation.
Campbell went on to say he did not know whether Gibbs would be absent from camp until he gets a new deal, but reiterated that he is “not sweating it”.
NFL insider Adam Schefter corroborated that in a sit-down with reporter Brad Galli, saying he thinks the running back market could be moving in the next “week-plus”.
“I think the Gibbs thing could be relatively quick, whatever that is,” he said.
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Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said he also expects to see Gibbs back soon, and added he misses his teammate.
“I miss him out here,” St. Brown said. “I think he’ll be out here hopefully sooner rather than later. I talked to him quite a bit.”
Negotiations don’t feel like they’ve reached a code-red scenario or anything quite yet. The vibe seems pretty relaxed for a hold-in.
Still, the Lions are better off avoiding distractions by not letting this drag out. Gibbs is one of the most dynamic players in the NFL, plays a volatile position and is more important to this team than ever with the offseason trade of David Montgomery.
Sounds like a guy they should pay as soon as they can.
