Allen Park — Jack Campbell, in typical Jack Campbell fashion, walked into the media room with his cleats in hand, donning a black workout shirt and a pair of Detroit Lions-branded shorts, fresh off his first OTA practice of the offseason.
Campbell, an old-school, hard-nosed, gritty middle linebacker, was there to talk about his recent contract extension, a four-year pact worth $81 million in total value that’s set to keep him with the Lions through the 2030 season. The deal makes Campbell the second-highest-paid off-ball linebacker in the sport, less than $1 million behind San Francisco 49ers superstar and potential future Hall of Famer Fred Warner.
The money, as he put it, won’t change Campbell, who opened his availability by thanking about two dozen individuals who helped get him to this point, from Lions coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard to his wife, Megan, and his parents. He also thanked Detroit, “a city full of working-class people that every single day grind it out.”
“Growing up, I saw how hard my parents worked for what they got. I’ve just got a deep appreciation for people who show up to work every single day, even if no one notices, even if no one writes stories about them. … It’s literally what the city of Detroit epitomizes, so that’s what I’m going to try to epitomize,” Campbell said.
“That’s how I was raised. That’s how I guess I see life, and that’s my perspective on things. You guys already know what you’re going to get from me every single day. Nothing less than the standard, which is — we’re setting the standard at the highest level this season.”
Campbell, the latest of Detroit’s draft picks to receive a multi-year second contract, rose to All-Pro prominence in 2025, accumulating 176 total tackles (nine for loss), five sacks, 17 pressures and three forced fumbles, all career-high marks. He also paced the league in run stops (44). In coverage, Campbell allowed 45 receptions (61 targets) for 287 yards and four touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus.
The selection of Campbell at No. 18 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft was initially met with strong criticism, as he was rated as the No. 45 prospect on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board. Detractors also pointed to positional value (or lack thereof); common thinking says teams should prioritizes premium positions in the first round (quarterback, offensive tackle, pass rusher, etc.), leaving other spots, like linebacker, to be addressed on Days 2 and 3 of the draft.
Campbell was well aware of the naysayers. He recalled an online article in which an analyst came down hard on Detroit’s draft haul, especially on Campbell. “I looked down and it says, ‘F, Jack Campbell is probably the worst football player of all time.’ And I said, ‘Probably. You’re probably right.’ But I guess (general manager) Brad Holmes just saw something in me, and I guess the people who get to work with me see something in me,” Campbell said.
“It wasn’t about proving them wrong,” Campbell added. “I feel like, for me, it was (about) proving the people who believed in me right. … It’s funny how things work. I don’t get into all the stuff outside. People can think what they want to think. At the end of the day, I know who I am as a person. I know who I am as a player. I know that the organization believes in me wholeheartedly. They saw something in me.”
The Lions declined Campbell’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason in a move designed to maintain monetary flexibility. Had they picked up the option, the Lions would’ve been stuck with a 2026 cap hit of $21.9 million for Campbell. With the extension, Holmes and the front office punted much of the money into the future; Campbell’s cap hits over the next three seasons — 2026 ($4.8 million), 2027 ($5.5 million) and 2028 ($9.3 million), according to Over The Cap — are favorable, giving the Lions a window to maximize contention before more than $66 million of Campbell’s deal is scheduled to hit the books from 2029-31, including $25.2 million in dead cap in 2031.
In theory, Campbell could’ve waited until after the 2026 season to cash in, creating more leverage for his side because he’d become an unrestricted free agent in March. Former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, Campbell’s former teammate at Iowa, did something similar this year. Linderbaum’s approach led to a three-year, $81 million deal from the Las Vegas Raiders, the largest ever for a player at his position.
But Campbell, he said, had a single goal throughout the process: Remaining a Lion.
“People think that (the contract)’s going to change (everything), like you wake up and you have everything you ever dreamt of,” Campbell said. “But I can tell you this much: I woke up, and I still had the same problems.
“I’m still Jack Campbell.”
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Extension won’t change fire of this Lions star: ‘I’m still Jack Campbell’
Reporting by Richard Silva, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
