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EspañolReport: Lions trading David Montgomery to Texans
Sonic and Knuckles will not play together in 2026.
The Detroit Lions are reportedly trading running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. In return, the Lions will get:
- Texans’ 4th-round pick
- OL Juice Scruggs
- Texans 7th-round pick
There was clearly some tension between Montgomery and the Lions after the 2025 season, in which Montgomery saw his usage decline with the rise of Jahmyr Gibbs. Just last week, Lions general manager Brad Holmes suggested that there were still 0ngoing talks between the Lions and Montgomery.
“Obviously, look, we love David. He’s a great player. 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,” Holmes said last week.
With the move, the Lions will clear up just north of $3.5 million in cap space, but now they have a significant need at the second running back position.
Why Lions traded David Montgomery to Texans for small return
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The Detroit Lions have split Knuckles from Sonic.
Their two-headed backfield is now just one. David Montgomery has been traded to the Houston Texans on Monday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The Texans are sending a fifth-round pick back to the Lions.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote about this over the weekend.
"The Lions' David Montgomery wants out, has a reasonable contract (owed $6 million in 2026) and is 28," Fowler wrote. "That has value. Word out of Indy is that Detroit would want a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder) in return."
He got the cost right, and Montgomery now goes to Houston.
MORE: Cowboys show how NFL salary cap is (mostly) fake
Why did the Lions trade David Montgomery to the Texans?
Montgomery's trade is mostly about empowering Gibbs.
The younger back already took over the RB workload in 2025 after it had been an even split previously.
Montgomery is 28 now, and running backs often fall off rather quickly.
This move gets the Lions value back for Montgomery before injury or decline hits him.
Montgomery still ran for eight touchdowns in 2025 despite the reduced workload.
He also averaged 4.5 yards per carry in the recent campaign, showing that when given the chance, Monty is still a quality player.
It'll just be with the Texans now, not the Lions.
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Lions reportedly trade veteran RB David Montgomery to Texans
The Detroit Lions are trading veteran running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Monday.
Trade! The Lions are sending RB David Montgomery to the Texans, sources tell The Insiders. pic.twitter.com/ojzZyHVqZN
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 2, 2026
The Texans will send their 2026 fourth-round pick, offensive line Juice Scruggs and a seventh-round pick for Montgomery, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.
The news comes just one day after Montgomery denied reports that he "wanted out" of Detroit, refuting a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that he was seeking a fresh start, also noting that the Lions would want "possibly a fifth-rounder" in return for the vet.
Montgomery was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears as a third-round pick out of the 2019 NFL Draft class. After four years in Chicago as the team's lead running back, he signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Lions in free agency in 2023, following that up with a two-year, $18.25 million contract extension in Oct. 2024.
Montgomery is scheduled to become a free agent again in 2028, barring a new deal with Houston.
This breaking news story will be updated.
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