Lions trade David Montgomery to Texans hours after veteran's sarcastic response to rumors

03 Mar 2026 By foxnews

David Montgomery may not have wanted out of Detroit, but the Lions made it so on Monday in a deal with the Houston Texans.

The Lions are trading the veteran running back to the Texans in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick, a 2027 seventh-round pick and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, according to multiple reports.

This comes just hours after Montgomery responded to an ESPN report which stated he "wants out" of Detroit after three seasons with the franchise.

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"Damn, [D-Mo] told you that?" Montgomery posted on Sunday after the report came out saying the Lions would want a "decent Day 3 pick" in return for him.

In the end, though, a decent Day 3 pick is what the Lions got in return and then some from the Texans, a team that was looked to bolster its run game this offseason after a down year following the injury to Joe Mixon before the 2025 season even began.

LIONS STAR DAVID MONTGOMERY SARCASTICALLY FIRES BACK AT TRADE RUMOR REPORT

Mixon is most likely to be released after a foot injury kept him out all of last season. Now, Montgomery and promising rookie Woody Marks are expected to share the backfield, though the former may see an elevated role compared to what was occurring in Detroit.

Montgomery loved being a part of one of the most dynamic duos at running back in the league, but his other half, Jahmyr Gibbs, was slowly getting more of the workload. The explosive Alabama product is one of the best at his position in the NFL, and Montgomery was mainly being used in short-yardage situations or to spell Gibbs in 2025.

Known affectionately as "Sonic and Knuckles," the duo will no longer share the same backfield, and "Sonic" was upset after posting a picture of the video game characters.

Gibbs has taken off since entering the NFL as the Lions' first-round pick in 2023. He broke out with 1,412 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, which led the NFL, in 2024. Then, he followed it up with 1,223 yards and 13 rushing scores, with a career-high 616 receiving yards and five more scores through the air in 2025.

Montgomery had 716 rushing yards with eight rushing scores, while hauling in 24 of Jared Goff's pass attempts his way for 192 yards. He totaled 2,506 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns across his three seasons with the franchise.

Montgomery, who was a third-round pick by the Chicago Bears before landing with the Lions in 2023, is under contract through the 2027 season.

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