Detriot Lions running back David Montgomery during an NFL game.
The Detroit Lions aren’t publicly shopping David Montgomery, but they’re also not pretending the situation is simple.
Speaking Tuesday, Feb. 24 at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Lions general manager Brad Holmes addressed the ongoing trade chatter around Montgomery and made Detroit’s position clear: the team would like him back in the 2026 running back rotation. Holmes also acknowledged the key variable is whether Montgomery wants that same outcome.
“We’d love to have him,” Holmes said, according to the Detroit Free Press. “Kind of want to put last year in the rearview and just move forward. But obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. So those conversations are still fluid and we’ll just kind of see how it goes.”
That timing matters. The new NFL league year — and the official start of free agency and the trading period — begins March 11 at 4 p.m. ET, which puts a real calendar on any “fluid” conversations.
Detroit Lions News: Brad Holmes’ combine message to David Montgomery
Holmes didn’t say Montgomery requested a trade. He didn’t say the Lions are actively pursuing one, either. But the wording — “a player has to want to be at a certain place” — is an unusually direct tell that the Lions understand this is as much about relationship and role clarity as it is talent.
Montgomery’s frustration isn’t hard to connect. After serving as a 1A/1B partner with Jahmyr Gibbs in 2023 and 2024, Montgomery slid into a clear No. 2 role last season. He posted career-lows with the Lions in rushing yards (716), attempts (158), total touches (182) and yards from scrimmage (908). He also didn’t top 10 carries in any of the final eight games, a stretch that can feel like a weekly reminder of where a player stands in the pecking order.
Gibbs, meanwhile, became the engine of the offense. He led Detroit with 320 offensive touches, totaling 1,839 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns.
If Montgomery’s camp wants “proof of role,” the 2025 usage split is the opposite of that.
NFL Rumors: Will the Lions bring back David Montgomery?
Montgomery’s deal adds another layer to the decision.
He signed a two-year, $18.25 million extension in October 2024 and is set to make a $5.49 million base salary in 2026, with $1.75 million guaranteed this season,according to SpoTrac. That’s not a minimum-salary backup, but it’s also not an untouchable cap figure if Detroit believes the money could be repurposed elsewhere.
This is where the combine setting matters, too. The NFL’s annual scouting event is also the league’s biggest gathering of decision-makers, which makes it the ideal backdrop for “healthy dialogue” with an agent, and for quietly gauging what a player’s market might look like if both sides decide a change is best.
Holmes confirmed he has had “healthy dialogue” with Montgomery’s agent, but declined to get into specifics.
Dan Campbell, Drew Petzing, and the “keep him” case
Head coach Dan Campbell offered the strongest pro-Montgomery case, and it was emotional enough to land.
Campbell said he talked with Montgomery at the end of the season but has given him space this offseason. Still, he made it obvious where he stands.
“But certainly he knows how I feel,” Campbell said, adding that new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing “loves” Montgomery, too. “I mean, who wouldn’t? This guy, he’s a heck of a back… David’s a pro, so we’ll figure this out.”
That’s the Lions’ pitch in one paragraph: last season didn’t go how anyone wanted, but a new OC and a reset could bring Montgomery back into a steadier weekly role.
The question is whether Montgomery is willing to bet on that, or whether he’d rather find a situation where he can be more than the second option behind an ascending star.
What happens next (and what to watch)
If you’re looking for the next “tell,” it likely won’t be a dramatic quote. It’ll be timing.
With March 11 looming as the league-year and trade-period start, Detroit has a narrow window to either (1) get on the same page with Montgomery about role and usage, or (2) explore options that let both sides move forward cleanly.
Holmes called it “fluid.” In NFL terms, that usually means a decision is coming, and the calendar is already pushing it closer.