The Detroit Lions checked off a major item from their offseason to-do list Thursday. 

They inked linebacker Jack Campbell, the heart and soul of their defense, to a four-year contract extension worth $81 million (reportedly $51.5 million guaranteed). It was a well-deserved extension for Campbell, who was named to his first Pro Bowl and earned first-team AP All-Pro honors in 2025.

The 25-year-old will enter the 2026 season as the second-highest paid off-ball linebacker in the NFL at $20.25 million per year, trailing only San Francisco’s Fred Warner ($21M/year).

Campbell led all Lions defenders – and finished second in the league – with 176 tackles last season, while playing in all but eight of the team’s 1,105 defensive snaps. He also notched career-high totals in sacks (five), forced fumbles (three) and fumble recoveries (two) while recording a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 90.2. It marked the second-best PFF overall grade among 88 qualified linebackers a season ago. 

In addition to his high-level production, Campbell has donned the green dot and served as the de facto “quarterback” of the defense the last two seasons, relaying calls to the rest of the unit from Detroit’s defensive coaching staff. 

Lions head man Dan Campbell offered high praise for the middle linebacker this past December. 

“He’s our bell cow,” Campbell said. “He’s smart and he’s instinctive, and he is snap to whistle all out, all the time. In practice, too. And he doesn’t take plays off, he doesn’t take days off. He goes after the football, he’s a ball guy. So, he’s invaluable.”

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The fourth-year pro has grown into an immensely valuable member of Detroit’s defense, morphing from an inconsistently productive, part-time starter in 2023 (57.3 PFF grade) to one of the NFL’s very best linebackers. And the Iowa product has proven to be especially proficient against the run, with no less than a 75.9 PFF run-defense grade in his first three NFL seasons. 

Campbell has proven time and time again he’s capable of captaining a defense, and he’s more than validated Detroit general manager Brad Holmes’ initially criticized decision to select an off-ball linebacker at No. 18 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

“This is Jack Campbell’s defense,” Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard told reporters at the NFL combine in February. “And I don’t hesitate when I say that. This is Jack Campbell’s defense, and everybody in that locker room knows it, point blank, period. It all goes through Jack.”

He’s more than earned the right to be the leader of Sheppard’s unit, and Detroit should be in good hands with Campbell patrolling the middle of the defense in 2026. 

Holmes & Co. made an extremely wise decision locking up the gritty linebacker until 2030 and should be commended for such. At this present juncture, I believe the Campbell extension deserves an “A” grade.