David Montgomery’s name was mentioned during the NFL Combine, and the running back could see his time with the Detroit Lions ending soon. The asking price for a trade has been revealed, and acquiring his services shouldn’t be too costly if the reports are true.
David Montgomery Could Be Traded for a Fifth-Round Pick
Montgomery’s role with the Lions diminished heavily in 2025. For the first time in his career, he averaged under 10 carries per game, with Jahmyr Gibbs officially taking over as the No. 1 running back. He had a solid year overall, but his numbers fell off.
With agents and reporters meeting at the NFL Combine, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote in his post-Combine column that Montgomery wants to be moved.
He listed the reasons for a potential switch, while revealing the Lions’ asking price:
“At running back, the Lions’ David Montgomery wants out, has a reasonable contract (owed $6 million in 2026), and is 28. That has value. Word out of Indy is that Detroit would want a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder) in return. Seattle makes sense here if it can’t re-sign Kenneth Walker III.”
Part of Montgomery’s salary is fully guaranteed on March 13. He’ll be owed $6 million for the 2026 season, which represents a small cap hit for a player of his caliber. Given the numbers involved and his production, the Lions have no reason to consider releasing Montgomery.
However, they also know that his trade value is minimal. He has two years left in his second contract in the league, and while his production was consistent in 2025 (4.5 yards per carry), running backs don’t have long-term value in the NFL. If Detroit can earn something via trade, it would be a late-round pick.
Montgomery finished the 2025 season with 716 rushing yards, 192 receiving yards, and 8 touchdowns. For the first time in his career, he didn’t reach 1,000 scrimmage yards, ranking 31st on PFSN’s Running Back Impact Metrics.
Jahmyr Gibbs, on the other hand, finished with 1,839 scrimmage yards.
While the Lions could be listening to offers for their veteran running back, he took to Twitter to dispute part of Fowler’s report. Montgomery seemed to refute Fowler’s report that he wants out of Detroit, even with the lowest numbers of his career, writing, “Damn, Dmo told you that?”
Detroit needs to clean part of their salary cap before the start of the new league year. They’re currently $11.2 million above the cap, and they could save $3.5 million if they release the veteran running back before March 13.
The Lions are likely to restructure Jared Goff’s contract to comply with the cap.
