The “Sonic and Knuckles” era in Detroit is over.
When the Detroit Lions traded running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans on Monday, they parted ways with a fan-favorite veteran who helped revitalize the Lions run game and epitomized what Dan Campbell’s team is all about.
“I wish I could have played with him,” Campbell once said of the running back. “He’s that type of runner and that type of teammate, and it’s inspiring. I love it, man. I love the demeanor, I love the attitude. He won’t go down, he’s resilient and he’s tough.”
Those are the qualities that endeared Montgomery to Lions fans: his physical running style, grind-it-out mentality and under-appreciated wiggle and shiftiness. He and Jahmyr Gibbs combined to form one of the deadliest backfield duos in NFL history from 2023 to 2025, breaking the NFL record for most games by a running back pairing where both players score a touchdown.
But things shifted in the 2025 season. Montgomery had a career-low number of rushing attempts and rushing yards, as Gibbs continued to ascend as one of the most dynamic players in the NFL.
There were rumblings all season that Montgomery was unhappy with his downscaled role, and Lions general manager Brad Holmes appeared to indicate as much when he said the Lions would love to bring him back for 2026 but admitted ”a player has to want to be at a certain place”.
The writing seemed to be on the wall, and that was confirmed by Monday’s news.
Montgomery's departure is a loss for Lions' culture
It makes football sense for both parties, but it’s also always a stinger to lose a player so integral to the team’s identity. Montgomery’s toughness, work ethic and physicality fit the city of Detroit like a glove and served as the perfect foil to Gibbs.
He replaced another fan-favorite bruiser in Jamaal Williams ahead of the 2023 season, and instantly proved to be just what Detroit needed. That year, Montgomery rushed for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns, helping the Lions win their first playoff game since 1991 and reach the NFC championship game.
Montgomery was the perfect tone-setter to start games and closer for when the Lions needed to wear their opponent down. But as Detroit’s offensive line declined following the June 2025 retirement of Frank Ragnow, it became harder for the Lions to continue establishing the run via Montgomery’s between-the-tackles style.
Though Montgomery has proven a capable receiver out of the backfield, Gibbs is on another level in that regard. That ended up mattering a lot in 2025, with Detroit often trailing in games and forced to throw the ball more.
It also became easier to picture life without Montgomery with Gibbs posting two games of over 200 scrimmage yards in 2025— never mind a monster three-game stretch to end the 2024 regular season where he went for 487 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns with Montgomery sidelined due to an MCL injury.
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With his on-field usage dipping and Gibbs set to receive a market-setting contract extension, Montgomery and his two-year, $18.25 million deal became more expendable. And that’s not even considering the fact that he, himself, clearly wanted out by season’s end.
Though he’s about to be 29, Montgomery is still a starting-caliber running back in the NFL and deserves his chance to be the feature back somewhere else. He’ll join a Texans team aiming to put less on C.J. Stroud’s plate, even if Houston has plenty to figure out along its offensive line.
As for the Lions, they’ll hand the reins over to Gibbs as the unquestioned No. 1 back. But they’d be wise to not overwhelm him in terms of workload, especially if they don’t substantially improve the offensive line this spring.
2024 fourth-rounder Sione Vaki is still around, though he’s only taken seven carries in his career and hasn’t proven to be a reliable NFL player. Look for the Lions to either add a veteran or take a late-round flier on another back this offseason.
This deal makes enough sense for both parties, but it’s never easy to part with a player who meant this much to the franchise. “Sonic and Knuckles” gave Detroit some of its most fun football ever, and Montgomery will and should be remembered as a key part of the Lions’ remarkable turnaround. He will be sorely missed in Detroit.
“Everything I do next carries a piece of Detroit with it,” Montgomery wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram following the trade. “The work ethic. The edge. The heart. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for pushing me. Thank you for walking this chapter with me. I'm beyond grateful — and I'll always be proud to say I was shaped by this city and by you.”