The best indicator of a player’s expected role with a new team is the investment made to get him. For the Lions, the contract given to running back Isiah Pacheco means that will be the clear No. 2 to Jahmyr Gibbs.
Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, it’s a one-year, $1.81 million deal. This means that the days of Sonic and Knuckles are over. For 2026, it’ll be all Sonic for the Lions.
As it should be. Gibbs is a potential superstar. As a rookie, his playing time was limited to 57 percent. In 2024, it was 56 percent. Last year, it moved to 67 percent.
With that workload, Gibbs still had 1,839 yards from scrimmage and 18 total touchdowns.
By way of comparison, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had 83 percent playing time in 2025 — and 2,126 yards from scrimmage.
With Gibbs in line for a significant second contract, they’ll need to get value. With David Montgomery due to be traded to the Texans on Wednesday, the new-look depth chart will likely lay the foundation for Gibbs to be a Barry Sanders/Billy Simms-type presence in the Detroit offense.
