NFL insider pushes Lions-David Montgomery situation toward its inevitable end

It's generally not surprising when Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes speaks candidly. However, his comments when first asked if he expected running back David Montgomery to be on the roster next season were shockingly straight-forward.

"Obviously, I know it was a tough year for him in terms of the lack of touches. I'm not going to say I went into it planning for it to be that way", Holmes said during his season-ending press conference. "So, those are discussions that we're going to have to have a lot more depth in terms of, what's the best plan for him moving forward. Is that somewhere else, or whatever the case may be. I really appreciate everything he's done for us if it does go that way, but I hope it doesn't. We love David Montgomery. Those are conversations we're gonna have, I have a lot of respect for that player."

At the NFL Combine, Holmes' tune really didn't change regarding Montgomery's status.

"I've been in touch with David, his agent, and his representation. We love David, we love to have him. We kind of want to put last year in the rear view and just move forward. But obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place. Those conversations are still fluid, and we’ll just see how it goes. "

Holmes and the Lions are giving Montgomery significant, if not complete, say in where he wants to be. A trade request doesn't have to be honored, and a deal would have to make sense, but everything Holmes has said suggests a strong effort will be made to get it done if that's what the veteran running back wants.

And it sure sounds like Montgomery wants to be elsewhere.

NFL insider pushes David Montgomery situation toward its inevitable end

In a lengthy notes column coming out of the NFL Combine week in Indianapolis, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler had his nugget regarding Montgomery when citing trade candidates around the league.

"And at running back, the Lions' David Montgomery wants out, has a reasonable contract (owed $6 million in 2026) and is 28. That has value. Word out of Indy is that Detroit would want a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder) in return. Seattle makes sense here if it can't re-sign Kenneth Walker III."

Fowler's report confirms what the tea leaves have said for nearly two months. Montgomery was not happy with his lack of usage last season, and he would like to be traded. With his comments, Holmes has taken away almost any trade leverage he has.

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Of course, as is common in these situations, Montgomery took to social media to respond to Fowler's report he wants out of Detroit

Generally speaking, a reporter like Fowler has sources that aren't limited to a player himself. It could be an agent (maybe Montgomery's agent in this case?), someone with a team (maybe the Lions in this case), etc. Fowler didn't have deep details, but they weren't really necessary and he presumably vetted his reporting or heard the same thing from multiple people

On the other hand, it's safe to say someone wants it out there that Montgomery would like to be traded and what the Lions are looking to get in a trade. So mission accomplished on that front, with Fowler as the courier for that information.

When it comes down to it, no one would blame Montgomery for wanting to be somewhere else and it would be more surprising to see reports he wants to stay with the Lions. He's also never going to publicly confirm he wants to be traded, so his refutal of Fowler's report is as meaningless as it was expected.