00:00Okay, I mentioned that there was breaking news coming out of Lions camp, and everybody's reporting it.
00:07Jameer Gibbs, not practicing today.
00:11Not practicing today.
00:13He is eligible for an extension.
00:16He's going into his fourth year.
00:19This is one of those times where a lot of these extensions happen.
00:23His cap hit this year is $5.677 million.
00:28Next year, on a club option, which certainly gets picked up, $14.293 million is his cap hit.
00:36They could franchise him after that, which is one way to go about this.
00:41Or they could try and sign him to a contract.
00:46They could try and sign him to a contract, which is obviously what he wants, more of a long-term
00:50commitment and more of a long-term financial security from the Lions.
00:54This is what they call the hold-in market.
00:59And not only is Jameer Gibbs not at practice today, B. John Robinson, in the same draft class, is not
01:08at practice today.
01:13There's a way to approach this is to sign Gibbs to a long-term deal right now, make him the
01:24highest paid running back in football, which I believe would be north of $20.5 million a year.
01:31And they've been war-chesting for these kind of moves.
01:33They have been.
01:35When people get mad about the moves they don't make, what's cited is they want to keep their own guys.
01:40So clearly, they are trying to keep cap space for these kinds of moves.
01:44And they know that it would—do you do it quickly?
01:47Because whoever signs first, B. John or Gibbs, the other one's going to sign for more.
01:52So you can save a little bit of money, not a lot, but a little bit of money by being
01:56the first to sign.
02:00Or do you move forward under the theory that running backs have only so many carries in their bodies?
02:08And play the game of milking everything you can for the next three years and then letting them go.
02:14And the next three years would be this year, pick up the club option next year, franchise them the year
02:21after that.
02:23There is a lot of data out there that running backs can only take so many hits.
02:31But the challenge with Gibbs is that Gibbs is really—he's not their only option.
02:41I like Isaiah Pacheco, but with Montgomery gone, they need him.
02:49They need Jameer Gibbs.
02:52You know, missing practice, making sure you don't get hurt, I don't know if it's going to really lead to
02:59an acceleration of contract talks.
03:02But missing a bunch of practices, holding in throughout this preseason, they need him.
03:12They need him.
03:14Gibbs has the leverage here.
03:17And, you know, this story was one that's been percolating in the offseason.
03:23And Dan Campbell spoke about it this morning.
03:26He met with the media.
03:28Did he—I don't know if he knew at the time that Gibbs wasn't going to show for practice today.
03:35But here's what Dan Campbell had to say this morning when the topic of Gibbs and any kind of contract
03:40situation, here's what Dan Campbell had to say when it came up.
03:45I think that's the best way to say it.
03:48And so, you know, this is—this is both sides working through something?
03:55Both sides working through something.
03:58I mean, I don't know what else he can say, to be honest with you.
04:02They love Gibby.
04:03Detroit loves Gibby.
04:06This is a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
04:08They should have Super Bowl aspirations.
04:10They have flaws, for sure.
04:12This is a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
04:16If a player really wants to push this, he could put the Detroit Lions in a tough spot.
04:24He could.
04:27But, you know, what do you do if you're the Lions?
04:31I think you go ahead and expedite contract talks.
04:34You know this deal is probably going to get done, right?
04:40You don't talk about war-testing money to make sure that you can keep your own guys and then not
04:48keep your own guys.
04:51The question is, how much do you commit to them and for how long?
04:57There are times where you sign a contract that you know you're going to have some regrettable years on the
05:03end of it, but that's the price of doing business.
05:06And that, with Jameer Gibbs, is the risk that they're running if they do go long-term.
05:12God, but he's so elusive.
05:14And he feels like one of those backs that doesn't take the pounding that a lot of other backs do.
05:19Like the shelf life on a Jameer Gibbs feels so much longer than a shelf life on a David Montgomery
05:25because of Montgomery's running style.
05:27Now, but as I look at this situation, Gibbs has all the leverage.
05:34He's got all the leverage.
05:36You don't want to go into this season without him.
05:41And, you know, I said yesterday this team is one of the top – I think this team's one of
05:4810 or 12 that can win the Super Bowl.
05:51I'm stunned at the feedback we got pushing back on that.
05:54I didn't think it was that bold of a statement.
05:57But, yeah, they have flaws, but a lot of teams that can win the Super Bowl have flaws.
06:04But the bottom line here is if you think this team can compete and compete for that, they're not going
06:11to do it without Jameer Gibbs.
06:13Because you know what Jameer Gibbs is?
06:15And I heard this somewhere before.
06:16He is a weapon.
06:18He's a weapon that can catch the ball out of the backfield.
06:21He obviously is a home run hitter.
06:23God, he's good, man.
06:25And we got him.
06:26Can't afford to let him go.
06:29Can't afford to not have him this year.
06:31But can you afford to sign him to a long-term deal?
06:34We're not sure what he wants either.
06:37But it probably would be the highest-paid contract the running back's had in the NFL.
06:42Probably would be that.
06:44Question is, for how many years?
06:47248-539-9797.
06:49If you want to get into some Lions talk, a ton of text coming in on the Scooble situation.
06:53The table is set for what could be his final start here in Detroit today.
06:57We'll get to some of your phone calls and feedback when we continue from outside Comerica Park.
07:01It's Carson Anderson here on 97.1.
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