Jahmyr Gibbs Reflects on 'Stressful' Lions Contract Negotiations After Historic Deal

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is now the NFL's highest-paid running back after agreeing to an historical deal on Thursday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Gibbs, who had been holding in at Lions' training camp while the deal was negotiated, discussed the stress of the situation to reporters on Friday, per Bob Tripi of the Associated Press.

"This process has been extremely stressful," Gibbs said. "I just wanted to play ball. I missed being out there with my teammates and coaches and it's just fun being out there now."

Gibbs only participated in individual drills on Friday, per Tripi, but one can imagine he'll be a full participant in short order.

The former Alabama star has been a tremendous draft pick for the Lions, who selected him with the 12th overall choice in 2023. He amassed 1,839 yards from scrimmage last year alongside 18 touchdowns, one year after totaling 1,929 yards and 20 scores.

He's been remarkably efficient, averaging 5.3 yards per carry for his career and at least 5.0 yards per carry in each of his three seasons.

Gibbs shared the backfield with David Montgomery, who left in free agency for the Houston Texans last year. Although the Lions have a new RB2 in former Kansas City Chiefs backup Isiah Pacheco, Gibbs could be taking on a larger backfield share this year

"I mean he is, he's going to be our bell cow now," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said last June, per Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman. "He really became more of that last year, but we're going to hang our hat on him quite a bit. We're going to do a lot of things we feel like he does well."

The Lions open this season on Sunday, Sept. 13, when they host the New Orleans Saints.