David Montgomery.
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The Detroit Lions are rearranging things in the offseason, and star David Montgomery is sending a clear message on his future.
Detroit Lions are putting together their lineup for the 2026-27 season, and that will involves doing business with other teams and arranging trades. Now, Lions running back David Montgomery is firing back at a report that he’s seeking a trade.
In a feature out on Sunday, March 1, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Montgomery is gearing up to leave Detroit. In the piece, he states that “Montgomery wants out” and “has a reasonable contract,” where’s he owed $6 million in 2026. At 28 years old, “That has value. Word out of Indy is that Detroit would want a decent Day 3 pick, possibly a fifth-rounder, in return.” Fowler also projects that Seattle could trade for Montgomery if they don’t re-sign Kenneth Walker III.
But, the issue here is that Montgomery says to not believe the report. In a statement on X, he’s firing back in a big way.
Detroit Lions Running Back David Montgomery Sends Clear Message on Trade Rumors
After Fowler’s report broke, a rash of stories went up claiming that Montgomery wants out of Detroit. He took to X on Sunday morning, just hours after the report, to clear the air.
“…Dmo told you that?” he said, quoting a post from Underdog NFL stating, “Fowler: David Montgomery ‘wants out’ and Detroit would want a ‘decent Day 3 pick’ (possibly 5th-rounder) in return.”
So, he’s clearly pushing back. Of course, this doesn’t mean a trade involving Montgomery is dead, but it does make one read Fowler’s report with skepticism.
The Detroit Lions and David Montgomery’s Situation: It’s Complicated
At the end of the 2025-26 season, Lions general manager Brad Holmes made comments that suggested Montgomery was unhappy with the season.
“Those are conversations that we’re going to have to have because I’ve got a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said regarding Montgomery, according to Reuters. “He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized, and so yeah would love for it to be here, but if it can’t be here then you’d just love to see where could work out best for him.”
But, Montgomery sounded positive after the season, telling the NFL Network, “I just think having us both together and us both being as selfless as we are, I think it’s really important. It’s something special to be a part of.”
Holmes talked about Montgomery last week at the NFL Combine, and he didn’t commit either way on the running back.
“We love David. He’s a great player,” he said. “We would love to have him. Kind of want to put last year in the rearview and just move forward. But a player has to want to be at a certain place as well, so those conversations are still fluid and we’re just kind of seeing how it goes.”
Montgomery has two years left on his contract with the Detroit Lions after signing a two-year extension in the middle of the 2024 season. He’ll run $8.4 million against the cap this year, with $4.9 million guaranteed. If the Detroit Lions trade him, according to research from Over the Cap, that would open more than $3.5 million in cap space.