The Detroit Lions saw five players earn Pro Bowl nominations in 2025-26, and while postseason recognition is meant to be an appreciation of talent, there are typically financial ramifications attached to the acknowledgement. For veterans, those outcomes often present themselves in the form of palatable roster bonuses. However, first-round picks who are still playing on their rookie deals could see their contracts altered quite significantly.
Of the Lions’ 2025-26 Pro Bowlers, two are former first-round picks who are still on rookie contracts—Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell—and both are in line to cash in, via their team-controlled fifth-year options.
This offseason, the first-round picks from the 2023 class become eligible to have a fifth-year option applied to their existing contract, extending the team’s contractual control of the player. The NFLPA agreed to this stipulation in the most recent CBA, but they attached parameters centered on player success.
There are four tiers associated with a player’s fifth-year option. The basic tier is a standard pay increase based on the position they play. The second tier is tied to a player’s playtime, or how much they contributed to the team over the previous three seasons. The third and fourth tiers are tied to how many first-ballot Pro Bowls (part of the original recognition; alternate nominations do not apply) the player has earned over their three years in the NFL. A player with one first-ballot Pro Bowl lands in tier three, while multiple first-ballot Pro Bowl recognitions put a player in tier four. For a more detailed breakdown, we recommend checking out OverTheCap.com’s breakdown of fifth-year options.
Jahmyr Gibbs’ fifth-year option cost
As a running back, Gibbs’ fifth-year option falls into the following estimated tiers:
- Tier 1 (basic): $6.8 million
- Tier 2 (playing time): $7.5 M
- Tier 3 (1 Pro Bowl): $11.4 M
- Tier 4 (More than 1 Pro Bowl): $14.1 M
While Gibbs has been to the Pro Bowl in all three of his NFL seasons, he was an alternate as a rookie, and a first-ballot nominee in 2024-25 and 2025-26. That means Gibbs’ fifth-year option will reach tier four on the salary scale. That means his Pro Bowl nominations directly resulted in his fifth-year option nearly doubling, and is now the equivalent of the projected 2026 franchise tag for the running back position.
Campbell’s fifth-year option cost
As a linebacker, Campbell’s fifth-year option falls into the following estimated tiers:
- Tier 1 (basic): $14.9 million
- Tier 2 (playing time): $16.3 M
- Tier 3 (1 Pro Bowl): $22.9 M
- Tier 4 (More than 1 Pro Bowl): $27.5 M
Throughout his first three seasons in the NFL, Campbell had met the playing time requirements for a tier two fifth-year option, but his recent first-ballot Pro Bowl nomination bumped him up to a tier three, resulting in a $6.6 million increase.
How the Lions have previously dealt with rising fifth-year option costs
The Dan Campbell-Brad Holmes regime has faced the fifth-year option situation three times during their tenure with the Lions: Penei Sewell in 2024, then with Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams in 2025. In all three situations, the Lions picked up each player’s fifth-year option, then rolled the option into the player’s new contract extension.
With Sewell, the Lions acknowledged they picked up his extension at the same time they gave him a contract extension. With Hutchinson and Williams, the Lions exercised their fifth-year option in April, then reached contract extensions with each in the fall.
As for Gibbs and Campbell, both are expected to be contract extension priorities for the Lions this offseason, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see either, or both, get contract extensions before training camp. Their fifth-year options will undoubtedly factor into their new deals, but with extensions already expected, their contract extension price tags are likely to average near those of their fifth-year options anyway.
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