The Detroit Lions traded away running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans for a fourth and a seventh-round draft pick, along with offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. Now, Montgomery’s former backfield running mate, Jahmyr Gibbs, has weighed in on his thoughts on the trade.
Jahmyr Gibbs Shares Sonic-Inspired Image Following the Trade
Gibbs and Montgomery have been a two-headed backfield since Gibbs was drafted by the Lions No. 12 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, and when the team signed Montgomery to a three-year, $18 million deal just months before.
In their first season together, which was Gibbs’s rookie season, Montgomery carried the ball 219 times for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns. As for Gibbs, he had 182 carries for 945 yards, 10 touchdowns, and caught 52 passes for 316 yards and a score.
The pair followed that up next season with a combined 435 carries for 2,187 yards and 28 touchdowns. Finally, in 2025, Montgomery took his biggest backseat yet to Gibbs, carrying the ball for just 158 times for 716 yards and eight touchdowns. His carries, yards, and touchdowns were all the lowest since the duo arrived in Detroit.
From 2023 to 2025, the Lions never finished with a PFSN Offense Impact grade under 80.4, and these two were a massive part of it.
On his Instagram story [h/t NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero], Gibbs, the former Alabama Crimson Tide running back, shared an image of Sonic and Knuckles, a tandem he and Montgomery were referred to as. However, it showed the two walking away from each other, with tears in their eyes, and Gibbs adding a broken-heart emoji in the middle of the picture.
Jahmyr Gibbs weighs in on the David Montgomery trade, via IG. pic.twitter.com/kHWTpEZjQf
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 2, 2026
Remember, Montgomery had been by Gibbs’ side his entire NFL career to this point, so it’s more than understandable why he’d be upset to see him leave.
Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown also shared a graphic of Montgomery being traded, and he also posted a broken-heart emoji.
The Lions now have two third-round, one fourth-round, four sixth-round, and two seventh-round picks in this year’s draft when you add in the compensation from the Texans. These are all prime rounds to add another running back to replace Montgomery, who will save them $6 million in cap space with the trade, per Over the Cap.
After Gibbs, the Lions running back depth chart now consists of Jacob Saylors, Sione Vaki, and Kye Robichaux, so expect them to address a Montgomery-like back in the 2026 NFL Draft.
As for Montgomery, he lands on the Texans, where he’ll be the lead back alongside Woody Marks. This also likely spells the end for both Nick Chubb and Joe Mixon.
Of course, Mixon didn’t play at all in 2025 due to a mysterious injury, and Chubb is a free agent after running 122 times for 506 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Expect a heavy dose of Montgomery and Marks in the Texans’ backfield next season, and we’ll wait and see who the Lions add to complement Gibbs.
