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David Montgomery may not have wanted to leave Detroit, but the Lions did Monday in a deal with the Houston Texans.
The Lions are trading the veteran running back to the Texans in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick, a 2027 seventh-round pick and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, according to multiple reports.
This comes just hours after Montgomery responded to an ESPN report that stated he “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons with the franchise.
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David Montgomery of the Detroit Lions looks on before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field on December 4, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
“Condemn, [D-Mo] told you?” Montgomery posted Sunday after the report surfaced saying the Lions would want a “decent day 3 pick” in exchange for him.
Ultimately, though, a decent Day 3 pick is what the Lions got in return and then some from the Texans, a team that was looking to strengthen its running game this offseason after a down year following Joe Mixon’s injury before the 2025 season even began.
Mixon is very likely to be released after a foot injury kept him from playing all of last season. Now, Montgomery and promising rookie Woody Marks are expected to share the backfield, although the former could see a larger role compared to what was happening in Detroit.
Montgomery loved being part of one of the most dynamic running back duos in the league, but his other half, Jahmyr Gibbs, was slowly receiving a greater workload. The explosive Alabama product is one of the best at his position in the NFL, and Montgomery was primarily used in short-yardage situations or to spell Gibbs in 2025.
David Montgomery of the Detroit Lions warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Known affectionately as “Sonic and Knuckles,” the duo will no longer share the same backfield, and “Sonic” was upset after posting a photo of the video game characters.
Gibbs has taken off since entering the NFL as the Lions’ first-round pick in 2023. He broke out with 1,412 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, which led the NFL, in 2024. He then followed that up with 1,223 yards and 13 scores on the ground, with a career-high 616 receiving yards and five more scores through the air in 2025.
Montgomery totaled 716 rushing yards with eight rushing scores, while catching 24 pass attempts from Jared Goff for 192 yards. He totaled 2,506 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns in his three seasons with the franchise.
David Montgomery of the Detroit Lions runs the ball during the second half of a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field on December 4, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Montgomery, who was a third-round pick of the Chicago Bears before landing with the Lions in 2023, is under contract through the 2027 season.
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