David Montgomery's future is with the Detroit Lions...contractually.
Whether or not that remains the reality for him or the team headed into 2026 all depends on whether the two sides can amicably figure out how to get him more involved in the offense. Maybe the hiring of Drew Petzing, who likes to run a lot of gap schemes to open up the run game, can change the tune for both sides.
Montgomery was just on Radio Row with Chris Simms for his live "Unbuttoned" podcast taping during Super Bowl LX week, and it sure does seem like he's open to doing whatever it takes, at this point, to remain a team player with the Lions - diminished role and all. In the interview which starts around the 10:17 mark in the link above, Montgomery is asked directly by Simms how he deals with having his snaps "stolen" by Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery said:
"I wouldn’t say dealing with it, and I wouldn’t say stealing. I would say, you’re on a team where you get the luxury of having two guys like that. Everybody wants to play, everybody wants to be involved. but the good thing about this is, I’m an incredible teammate, and I’ll do whatever it is to ensure that my team is going in the right direction, but I want to be a part of that, also."
He added, "It's a happy medium where, I can play more, I want to play more."
Montgomery opens up about role in Lions offense
Montgomery finished up his 2025 campaign with 716 yards on 158 carries, along with eight total touchdowns. 158 carries is also a career-low for Montgomery, but he played in all 17 games this season. His healthy was likely aided along by the fact that the Lions were leaning so heavily on Gibbs for their running game, but it was obvious that Montgomery wasn't being utilized nearly enough.
Montgomery seemed content with the Petzing hire on the podcast, saying that Petzing "was very intentional the messages he was getting across, he wanted to ensure me and let me know he wants me to be a part of it."
That doesn't sound like a player about to be traded or one that's about to demand a trade.
Additionally, Montgomery was very team oriented in all his responses to some of Simms' "gotcha" questions, and was adamant about the Lions' ability to build back to 2023-2024 levels for their 2026 season.
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I" know that Coach Campbell and Brad, they do work hard, so it won’t be something we’ll be living in. It’ll be corrected, and we’ll be right back where we were before this year, and we’re trying to go…we’re going to the Super Bowl."
Montgomery's the exact type of team leader that the Lions desperately need to keep in the fold amidst so much turnover with their offensive coordinator role the last two seasons.
Losing him means losing the two-man punch that makes Detroit's offense so deadly with a proper offensive line. Add in Petzing, who is a perceived expert on that, and you're looking at the exact return that Montgomery envisions for the team in 2026. He's too important to trade or cut at this point in time.