![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2253526189-e1769797635148.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions.<\/p>\n
The University of Michigan\u2019s men\u2019s basketball team has a chance to make history on Monday, as they take on UConn for the 2026 national championship \u2013 but Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs<\/a> doesn\u2019t have a rooting interest.<\/p>\n In fact, Gibbs gave a perfect WWE-themed answer when asked about who he would be rooting for by the Lions\u2019 social media team, and wrestling fans will certainly appreciate what he had to say.<\/p>\n Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs Invokes WWE Legend Randy Orton<\/p>\n When asked by the Lions\u2019 social media team who he was rooting for, he answered neither and also gave a birthday shoutout to WWE legend Randy Orton in the process.<\/p>\n \u201cJah! Who are you rooting for in the Final Four?\u201d the Lions\u2019 social media team asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody but fun fact I learned Randy Orton\u2019s birthday when I was 8 and never forgot it since and today marks that day. Happy birthday Randy Orton,\u201d Gibbs replied.<\/p>\n Gibbs is a well-known WWE fan, having attended Wrestlemania 41 and also a live taping of WWE Raw when it came through Detroit.<\/p>\n Gibbs, who was the 12th overall pick by the Lions in the first round of the 2023 NFL<\/a> draft, has become one of the integral parts of Detroit\u2019s offensive attack. In fact, Gibbs\u2019 emergence helped allow the Lions to deal David Montgomery to the Houston Texans<\/a>, and receive offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, a 2026 fourth-round draft pick and a 2027 seventh-rounder in return this past March.<\/p>\n But could he line up at wide receiver?<\/p>\n Will Jahmyr Gibbs Line Up At Wide Receiver For The Lions?<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be surprised to see it happen at some point, according to head coach Dan Campbell.<\/p>\n \u201cGibbs, we didn\u2019t view Gibbs as a runner, he was a weapon,\u201d Campbell said<\/a>. \u201cWe felt like Gibbs, this guy is gonna explode. Yes, he\u2019s a runner, he can run all schemes, he can run inside, outside, the perimeters, but he also can be lethal out of the backfield, and we\u2019re not even there yet. We feel like this guy can play some receiver. He\u2019s dynamic and he\u2019s a difference-maker. They don\u2019t come around often.\u201d<\/p>\n Lions fans have already seen Gibbs\u2019 talent on the field, and that could result in more recognition in the upcoming season.<\/p>\n According to a prediction madeby Pro Football Talk\u2019s Michael David Smith late last month, Gibbs is betting favorite to win the league\u2019s 2026 Offensive Player of the Year award.<\/p>\n \u201cGibbs\u2019 odds to win Offensive Player of the Year are +700,\u201d Smith wrote<\/a>. \u201cThe next-best odds go to Falcons running back Bijan Robinson<\/a> at +800, followed by Bengals wide receiver Ja\u2019Marr Chase at +900, Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey at +1000, Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba<\/a> at +1100 and Vikings<\/a> wide receiver Justin Jefferson at +1200.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued:<\/p>\n \u201cIt was already clear that Gibbs was the No. 1 running back in Detroit, but when the Lions traded running back David Montgomery to the Texans, it left no doubt that the plan is for Gibbs to get a big workload this season. New Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is expected to give Gibbs plenty of opportunities to make plays with the ball in his hands.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMichael Whitaker<\/a> Michael Whitaker is a sports journalist based in metro Detroit with nearly a full decade of experience with publications like Clutch Points and The Hockey News. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Eastern Michigan University. More about Michael Whitaker<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lions\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Running back Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions. The University of Michigan\u2019s men\u2019s basketball team has a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":858390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-858389","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-lions","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-lions","10":"tag-detroitlions","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-lions","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116362143558558409","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=858389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/858390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=858389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=858389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=858389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}