Linebacker Jack Campbell being named to the Pro Bowl on the original ballot last season was both a blessing and a curse for the Detroit Lions.
The Blessing and the Curse
Campbell had a breakout season, ranking second in the NFL with 176 tackles. He also had five sacks — tied for second among off-ball linebackers — three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. The 2023 first-round pick earned first-team All-Pro honors because of his efforts.
However, the Pro Bowl selection increased the value of Campbell's fifth-year option by $6.801 million. The amount went from $15.124 million to $21.925 million, which is the equivalent of the 2026 linebacker transition tag, because a player's performance dictates his option-year salary.
Lions' Contract Decisions
The Lions declined the fifth year in 2027. The cost doesn't reflect the off-ball linebacker market because pass-rushing 3-4 outside linebackers (edge rushers) primarily determine the number.
Fred Warner and Roquan Smith top the off-ball linebacker market with respective $21 million per year and $20 million per year deals from the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens.
The Lions have expressed interest in doing a long-term deal with Campbell, who now has an expiring contract and is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
Other Key Players
Safety Brian Branch and tight end Sam LaPorta, 2023 second-round picks, are also in contract years. Both are coming off season-ending injuries. Branch tore his right Achilles in early December, while LaPorta missed the last eight games after undergoing back surgery for a herniated disc.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs, a fellow 2023 first-round pick whose fifth-year option was exercised, is also in line for a new deal. Passing on Campbell's fifth year and the injuries could accelerate the Lions' negotiating timetable.
The Linderbaum Comparison
There are some parallels between center Tyler Linderbaum's and Campbell's situations. Linderbaum had his option year declined last offseason because the value exceeded his positional market despite being selected to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year in 2024.
Since there aren't specific option-year salaries for center, guard and tackle, the amount is the same regardless of position. A fifth year in 2026 was going to be $23.402 million when Creed Humphrey set the center market with the $18 million per year contract extension he received from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024.
The discrepancy between these two figures was 30.01%.
Linderbaum's New Deal
The Ravens predictably decided against putting a franchise tag on Linderbaum after he played out his rookie contract last season. The cost of using the designation would have been $25.773 million, $2.371 million more than the fifth-year option that the team declined.
Linderbaum broke the bank when he hit the open market. It was assumed Linderbaum would become the NFL's highest-paid center in free agency. Nobody expected him to get a three-year, $81 million contract averaging $27 million per year from the Las Vegas Raiders, resetting the center market by a whopping 50%.
Linderbaum apparently had his sights set on becoming the league's highest-paid interior offensive lineman. That had been Dallas Cowboys guard Tyler Smith, who signed a four-year, $96 million extension averaging $24 million per year in September shortly after the 2025 regular season started.
Linderbaum's $81 million is practically fully guaranteed. His injury-guaranteed $21 million base salary in 2028 becomes fully guaranteed next March on the third day of the 2027 league year. Linderbaum also has a clause in his contract preventing the Raiders from designating him as a franchise or transition player in 2029.
Campbell's Market Value
Campbell has surely taken note of what happened with Linderbaum. All-Pro-caliber players in their prime, like Campbell and Linderbaum, rarely become unrestricted free agents.