Overview
- GM Brad Holmes said the team will hold conversations this offseason about whether to keep Montgomery or explore a trade, noting they "love" the player but want his abilities fully utilized.
- Jahmyr Gibbs became the primary back in 2025 with 17 starts, 1,223 rushing yards and 13 rushing TDs, while Montgomery logged career lows with 158 carries for 716 yards and eight scores.
- Usage tilted heavily to Gibbs, who played 713 snaps to Montgomery’s 395, and Montgomery’s carries tailed off late in the season after a stronger early stretch.
- Montgomery has two years left on his deal, including a $5.49 million 2026 base salary; a trade would carry a reported $6 million cap hit for an acquiring team, and a release would leave $4.9 million in dead money for Detroit.
- If Montgomery departs, the Lions would need a power complement to Gibbs, as no other running back had more than three carries in 2025, and reporting indicated Montgomery was privately frustrated by his reduced role.