The Detroit Lions have officially ended a suddenly dramatic saga between them and running back David Montgomery, shipping him to the Houston Texans ahead of free agency. The trade was first reported by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Per The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Montgomery is being shipped out for a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick, in addition to center Juice Scruggs.
Montgomery, the Lions' RB2 since 2023, has been a key part of Detroit's fantastic rushing game. Jahmyr Gibbs, the teams' obvious RB1, was seen as the priority, though, ahead of an offseason where the young phenom is expected to reset the running back market with an extension.
Montgomery had obviously been upset by his role with the Lions this past season, with former OC John Morton using him less and less throughout the year in favor of spamming Gibbs in situations where it would've probably made a lot more sense for Montgomery to get run.
Now, the Lions go back to the drawing board to find a proper backup to Gibbs, while Montgomery gets a shot at becoming a RB1 again with Houston.
Montgomery traded to Texans ahead of 2026 free agency
Montgomery had been getting cryptic on social media during the 2025 season about his role with Detroit, and had also told Chris Simms on Radio Row a few weeks ago that he'd like to be playing more than what he did last year.
He had also been reported as wanting out by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler just yesterday, although he bucked back on that claim on social media.
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This is a huge net gain for the Lions in terms of draft capital, with Fowler having reported that the Lions were only seeking a fifth-rounder for the veteran running back. Instead, they get a fourth-round pick to add to their pool, in addition to a seventh-rounder, and they've got an additional IOL option by way of Scruggs through this deal.
As of right now, this seems like an obvious win for Detroit in the long run, and a huge overpay by the Texans. Montgomery is obviously an excellent RB still, and his availability last season is probably a huge plus for Houston, but to send out a fourth round pick for him is a lot.