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David Montgomery may not have wanted to leave Detroit, but the Lions got him done 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 said he “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons with the franchise.
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David Montgomery of the Detroit Lions watches before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field on December 4, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
“Curse, [D-Mo] Did I tell you that?” Montgomery posted Sunday after the report came out saying the Lions would want a “decent Day 3 pick” in exchange for him.
In the end, though, a decent Day 3 pick is what the Lions got in return and then some from the Texans, a team looking to shore up its running game this offseason after a down year following Joe Mixon’s injury before the 2025 season began.
Mixon will most likely be released after a foot injury kept him out all of last season. Now, Montgomery and promising rookie Woody Marks are expected to share the backfield, although the former may have an elevated role compared to what was happening in Detroit.
Montgomery loved being part of one of the league’s most dynamic running back duos, but his other half, Jahmyr Gibbs, was slowly taking on more of the workload. The explosive Alabama product is one of the best at his position in the NFL, and Montgomery was primarily being 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)
Affectionately known as “Sonic and Knuckles,” the duo will no longer share the same backfield, and “Sonic” became 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 an NFL-leading 16 rushing touchdowns in 2024. He then followed up with 1,223 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, with a career-high 616 receiving yards and five more touchdowns through the air in 2025.
Montgomery had 716 rushing yards with eight rushing touchdowns, while catching 24 of Jared Goff’s pass attempts 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 drafted in the third round by the Chicago Bears before landing with the Lions in 2023, is under contract through the 2027 season.
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