The Green Bay Packers have questions at the running back position, and a former longtime member of the Detroit Lions organization could be an answer.
Former Lions running back Jermar Jefferson tried out for the Packers on Monday, July 27, as Green Bay navigates previous and potential health issues to third-string RB MarShawn Lloyd along with off-field legal concerns for starter Josh Jacobs.
The Packers also put second-string RB Chris Brooks on the active/non-football injury list Monday, likely delaying his start to training camp.
Jefferson, who will play next season at 26 if he makes an NFL squad, was with the Lions organization from 2021-24, appearing in a total of nine games. He played seven of those contests in 2021, putting up 74 rushing yards and two TDs on 15 attempts.
Jefferson tallied six carries for 22 yards in 2024. He did not play in a regular-season contest for Detroit in 2022 or 2023, though he was a regular on the practice squad.
Lions RB Room Looks Much Different After Detroit Traded David Montgomery to Texans
GettyRunning back David Montgomery, formerly of the Detroit Lions.
Meanwhile, in Detroit, the Lions begin training camp this week with Jahmyr Gibbs as the clear cut No. 1 RB.
He will no longer split carries with David Montgomery following the team’s decision in March to trade him to the Houston Texans in exchange for a fourth-round pick, a seventh-round selection and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.
The Lions inked Isiah Pacheco, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs, to a one-year deal worth $1.8 million to handle some of the bruising, short-yardage downs in relief of Gibbs.
As of Tuesday, July 28, Sione Vaki and Jacob Saylors were the RBs 3 and 4 on the Detroit depth chart.
Star Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs in Line for Monster Extension
GettyDetroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
That Detroit has kept its RB room cheap in 2026 is crucial, not only so the team was able to invest in several areas of need on the roster this offseason, but because multiple players are now extension-eligible — including Gibbs, who is unlikely to come cheap.
Gibbs, a former first-round pick in 2023, has one year remaining on his $18 million rookie contract and carries a salary cap hit of just $5.7 million into the upcoming campaign. However, the team has already exercised its fifth-year option on Gibbs for the 2027 season, which will pay him $14.3 million.
That fifth-year option, which the Lions held due to Gibbs’ status as a former first-round selection (No. 12 overall), will allow Detroit to hold off on extending the running back to a potentially market-resetting deal at the position until next offseason — should the Lions so choose.
However, if the team waits an extra year and Gibbs plays well yet again, his price is liable to go up. Even if Detroit inks him to a new deal in the coming weeks, the Lions could be looking at an annual average salary of $20 million or more for Gibbs starting in 2028 and beyond.
Currently, the highest-paid RB in the NFL based on average yearly pay is Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles at $20.6 million per season.
Ex-Lions RB Works Out for Packers Ahead of Training Camp