RB David Montgomery Dropped A Major Hint That He's Unhappy With Detroit Lions
This Lions backfield ain't big enough for the both of us.
Playing behind Jahmyr Gibbs is starting to weigh on David Montgomery — once viewed as Gibbs' equal, even taking on the nickname ‘Sonic and Knuckles’ — and Monty's showing cracks via social media.
On Tuesday, Montgomery shared a shady Instagram post with the kind of caption that voices a hollow sense of gratitude, also known as Cryptic WR Speak. (See: AJ Brown as a prime example.)
David Montgomery of the Detroit Lions. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Montgomery's caption had fans in the Motor City humming: "God Grant me Humility and Gratitude and relieve me of Selfishness and Fear #blessed." The Detroit Times shared a screenshot on X alleging Montgomery ‘liked’ a comment under the post pushing for a trade out of Detroit.
If anything, Montgomery is internally screaming for some patience from the Most High. After all, when you're on the 2025 Detroit Lions — a top-2 NFC team in 2024, now 8-7 and effectively set to miss the playoffs this season — the end of a good run seems nigh.
Montgomery, 28, has operated as the veteran in the backfield, while the more explosive Gibbs, 23, takes on a dual-threat role and has separated himself from Monty after nearly two seasons of sharing a backfield.
Montgomery joined the Lions the same year Detroit drafted Gibbs, setting up their offense for an impressive jump in 2023. The vet splashed in his first year with Detroit with 1,015 rushing yards, while Gibbs put up a solid 945 rushing yards as a rookie.
Gibbs took off in 2024, tallying 1,412 rushing yards while Monty recorded 775 as a strong complementary runner.
From 2023 to 2024, Montgomery saw his carries drop from 219 to 185, with 2025 on pace to tally even fewer.
Through 16 weeks this season, Montgomery has just 140 carries against Gibbs' 207. Both guys notched double-digit TD totals in their first two seasons with Detroit.
Montgomery is locked in with the Lions until 2028, but the dynamic in Detroit is clearly shifting.
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