The Detroit Lions had a financial decision to make with David Montgomery. He didn't seem to be a priority on offense anymore, and since this is a ruthless business, they chose to move on to him and trade him to the Houston Texans.
GM Brian Holmes prioritized bolstering the trenches and adding more assets to his draft war chest, sending him to the Texans in exchange for OL Juice Sruggs, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and a 2027 seventh-round selection.
The writing was already on the wall after hearing about Montgomery's discontent. And, as reported by Lions content creator Natalie Sparbeck, he wiped out every relationship to the Lions from his Instagram account.
David Montgomery Has No Love Lost for the Lions
The Lions went away from what worked so well while Ben Johnson was calling the shots. Offensive coordinator John Morton and then Dan Campbell didn't turn to Montgomery as often as in the past, especially in the final stretch of the season, and one can argue it had a direct impact on the offense.
Montgomery averaged 14.4 carries per game in his first two years in Motor City, with that number dropping to 9.3 in his final year with the organization. He had his fewest touches (182) in a season, taking a backseat to Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Lions used to have one of the most dynamic running back tandems in the game. Their one-two punch featured Montgomery as the bruiser and the enforcer, doing all the dirty work while Gibbs made the most of a tired, worn-out defense with his explosiveness.
Montgomery had 2,506 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns in three seasons with the Lions. He signed with the Lions in 2023 after four seasons with the Chicago Bears, who selected him in the third round of the 2019 draft.
Now, Montgomery is about to turn 29 years old, and he's signed to a two-year, $18.25 million contract extension that should make him the primary ballcarrier in Houston, given all the uncertainty about Joe Mixon's future in the league.
Montgomery and Gibbs were the ultimate one-two punch, and the Lions had one of the most proficient running games in football during the two years the tandem played to the best of its abilities.
Now, with Drew Petzing set to take the reins of the offense, it'll be interesting to see who the Lions bring in to replace the rusher. The Arizona Cardinals will likely release James Conner, and given his ties to Petzing, he looks like a no-brainer candidate to hold the fort down on first-down carries and short-yardage situation duties.