Three different contract projections that make up for the money lost by the Lions not picking up Campbell 's fifth-year option
The Detroit Lions surprised a lot of people outside of Detroit, and basically nobody in Detroit, when they didn't pick up All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell 's fifth-year option.
On the outside, some took this as the Lions not having enough money to pay him, and that he'll be hitting free agency next year. Some wrote up articles about why their team should trade for him. In reality, this was the Lions being smart with their money by not paying him a fully guaranteed near $22 million in 2027.
That, of course, does not mean the Lions don't want him or don't want to pay him. they defintiley do and they definitely will. Here are three different extensions the Lions could pay Campbell to make up for the lack of that fifth-year option.
Let's be honest, this feels like the least likely situation here. Campbell just made first team All-Pro, and he's still just 25-years-old. The Lions are likely going to have to pay him big time. This is a big deal, and it's fair, but it might not be enough. I
n this scenario, Campbell gets a four-year extension worth $80 million. It would put him at $20 million AAV (average annual value). That makes him the second or third highest-paid linebacker in the league. It's not a bad deal, but I do know how the Lions like to take care of their guys. I'm just not sure it's the best deal.
| Year |
Base Salary |
Prorated Bonus |
Cap Hit |
Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |
$1.3M |
$4.67M |
$5.97M |
$48M |
| 2027 |
$3.2M |
$4.67M |
$7.87M |
$41M |
| 2028 |
$12.5M |
$4.67M |
$17.17M |
$32M |
| 2029 |
$17M |
$4.67M |
$21.67M |
$18.67M |
| 2030 (void) |
- |
$4.67M |
$4.67M |
$9.34M |
| 2031 (void) |
- |
$4.67M |
$4.67M |
$4.67M |
Doing it this way gives Campbell and four year extension worth $96 million. This would pay him about $24 million on average per year. He'd have $60 million guaranteed. That would tie him with Roquan Smith for the most guaranteed money by a linebacker. Not a bad deal at all. The Lions get some low-cap hits earlier on, and they can do a restructure in 2028, theoretically.
| Year |
Base Salary |
Prorated Bonus |
Cap Hit |
Dead Money |
| 2026 |
$1.5M |
$6.67M |
$8.17M |
$60M |
| 2027 |
$3.5M |
$6.67M |
$10.17M |
$52M |
| 2028 |
$17M |
$6.67M |
$23.67M |
$40M |
| 2029 |
$22M |
$6.67M |
$28.67M |
$26.67M |
| 2030 (void) |
- |
$6.67M |
$6.67M |
$13.34M |
| 2031 (void) |
- |
$6.67M |
$6.67M |
$6.67M |
This would make the deal a lot bigger. It would be a four-year deal worth $104 million. In the second example, Campbell would have made the most out of any linebacker annually, but Smith's $100 million deal was still the king. In this case, Campbell is the flat-out man in terms of linebackers getting paid. In total, and annually. They still get to keep their lower cap hits early on, though.
| Year |
Base Salary |
Prorated Bonus |
Cap Hit |
Dead Money |
| 2026 |
$1.2M |
$8.67M |
$9.87M |
$80M |
| 2027 |
$2.8M |
$8.67M |
$11.47M |
$70M |
| 2028 |
$16M |
$8.67M |
$24.67M |
$56M |
| 2029 |
$24M |
$8.67M |
$32.67M |
$40M |
| 2030 (void) |
- |
$8.67M |
$8.67M |
$26M |
| 2031 (void) |
- |
$8.67M |
$8.67M |
$17.33M |
Detroit Lions News
Mike Payton April 29, 2026
