Report: RB David Montgomery ‘wants out’ of Detroit

ESPN reported on Sunday that David Montgomery wants to play in Detroit after three seasons there.

But Montgomery immediately refuted the report about X, posting: “Damn, the Dmo said that?”

The ESPN report claims the Lions will want a “decent third-day pick (perhaps a fifth-rounder)” in the 2026 NFL Draft in return for Montgomery, who turns 29 in June and is owed $6 million next season.

The report follows general manager Brad Holmes’ comments after the season that Montgomery was unhappy with his playing time in 2025. Sharing the backfield with Jamir Gibbs, Montgomery threw for a career-low 716 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (none starts).

“It’s a conversation we need to have because I have a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said of Montgomery in January. “He deserves to be in a situation where he can utilize his skills, so it would be great to be here, but if he can’t be here, I just want to see where he can best fit.”

At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Holmes said Montgomery’s situation is “fluid.” He signed a two-year contract extension through the 2024 season that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign.

“Yes, I have been in contact with David’s representative and his representative,” Holmes said. “Obviously we love David, he’s a great player, we want him to put last year behind him and move on, but obviously a player has to want to be in a certain place. Talks are still fluid, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Montgomery appeared in 45 games (28 starts) over three seasons in Detroit (2023-25), throwing for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns. He had 76 catches for 650 yards during that span.

He began his career with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Montgomery had 3,609 yards and 26 scores in 60 games (51 starts) with the Bears (2019-22).

–Field level media