David Montgomery wants to leave the Detroit Lions, or does he? The standout running back questioned an ESPN report that stated he's requested to leave Detroit this offseason. "Damn, Dmo told you that ?" Montgomery replied in a post about the report on X, seemingly referring to himself as "Dmo." While Montgomery disputed ESPN's report, the Lions have reportedly begun assessing the running back's value on the open market. Detroit is hoping to get a "decent Day 3 pick" in exchange for Montgomery, ESPN added in its report. Montgomery is on a seemingly reasonable contract for a player of his caliber. His two-year, $18.25 million extension kicks in for the 2026 season, but he's owed $6 million for the upcoming year. The Lions are also over the salary cap by just over $12 million, a week before free agency starts. So, trading Montgomery would help them shed some money, opening up $3.5 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. However, Detroit would eat $4.8 million in dead money if it dealt Montgomery prior to June 1. Montgomery, who joined the Lions in 2023, had a productive 2025 season, although his numbers took a bit of a dip from his first two years in Detroit. His 716 rushing yards were actually a career low, but he did it on a respectable 4.5 yards per carry. He also rushed for eight touchdowns, adding 192 receiving yards. In his first two seasons in Detroit, Montgomery rushed for 1,790 yards and 25 touchdowns in 28 games. He also had 458 yards receiving over that stretch. The emergence of Jahmyr Gibbs as a three-down running back might also make Montgomery expendable. Gibbs was top-10 in all-purpose yards again this past season, and he's also up for a contract extension this offseason. If Gibbs ends up getting a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid running backs, it might make even more financial sense for Detroit to move on from Montgomery.
