David Montgomery spent the last three seasons with the Detroit Lions, forming one of the NFL’s best backfield duos alongside Jahmyr Gibbs, whom Detroit selected in the first round back in 2023.
As Gibbs has continued to ascend, Montgomery’s role has slightly diminished. After rumors surfaced over the weekend that he had requested a trade, the Lions dealt the seven-year veteran to the Houston Texans on Monday in exchange for a fourth-round pick, a seventh-round pick, and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.
Shortly after the deal became official, Gibbs reacted on his Instagram story, sharing a photo of Sonic and Knuckles — nicknames the duo embraced over their time together, even featuring the characters on their cleats — depicted crying. He kept his message over the photo subtle, adding only a heartbreak emoji.
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Jahmyr Gibbs weighs in on the David Montgomery trade, via IG. pic.twitter.com/kHWTpEZjQf
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 2, 2026
The Lions totaled more than 6,000 yards of offense last season, with the rushing attack — led by Gibbs and Montgomery — accounting for 2,041 of those yards.
Montgomery logged 158 carries for 716 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. By comparison, Gibbs handled 243 attempts for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also serving as a much bigger factor in the passing game out of the backfield.
For Houston, the Texans are widely expected to move on from veteran running back Joe Mixon, making Montgomery an affordable and reliable option in the backfield. He now pairs with Woody Marks, who emerged last season as Houston’s primary starter while Mixon was sidelined.
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