Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs says he wouldn’t hesitate to take himself with the first overall pick in a fantasy football draft.
“For sure,” Gibbs said with a reported smile Tuesday when asked whether he’d select himself first, according to the Lions’ team website. “I’m either going to make a lot of people happy or mad.”
The confidence comes with a contract to match. In August, the Lions signed Gibbs to a three-year, $67.5 million extension, with a $22.5 million average annual value that stands as a record for a running back in NFL history.
Gibbs has been a Pro Bowler in each of his three NFL seasons, 2023 through 2025. Last season he rushed for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns on 5.0 yards per carry, adding 77 receptions for 616 yards and five more scores. The year before, in 2024, he rushed for 1,412 yards and an NFL-high 16 touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry.
His workload is likely to grow further. Gibbs has averaged 246.5 carries per season since 2024, and the Lions traded veteran running back David Montgomery, who averaged 187.3 carries per season from 2023 through 2025, to the Houston Texans. Last season, Gibbs and Montgomery were the only Detroit players with more than three carries, combining for 401 rushing attempts. The rest of Detroit’s current running back room, Jacob Saylors and Sione Vaki, has a combined nine NFL carries between them.
“I guess I’m getting most of the carries. I feel good [about that],” Gibbs said. “It’s nothing I haven’t done before. It’s going to be cool.”
The Lions finished 9-8 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022. In the aftermath, the team fired offensive coordinator John Morton, who had replaced Ben Johnson after Johnson left to become head coach of the Chicago Bears. Former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing now holds the job in Detroit.
The Lions’ rushing attack has slipped over the past three seasons by the league’s team rankings: fifth in rushing yards per game in 2023 (135.9), sixth in 2024 (146.4), and 14th last season (120.1).
Gibbs and the Lions open the 2026 regular season at home against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon, with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
