David Montgomery will be a staple in the Detroit Lions’ backfield for at least the next three seasons after receiving a well-earned contract extension.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions and Montgomery have agreed on a two-year, $18.2 million deal on Saturday, keeping the 27-year-old in Honolulu blue until 2027.
Since joining the Lions in 2023, Montgomery is one of only nine running backs to rush for at least 1,286 yards. He has scored 17 touchdowns in the space, which is the second-most in the NFL behind Derrick Henry, Raheem Mostert and Kyren Williams, who all have 18 in that span.
Furthermore, he’s been incredibly consistent as far as scoring goes. Montgomery has found the endzone in 15-of-18 regular season games with the Lions and has an active streak of seven consecutive games with a touchdown heading into Detroit’s Week 6 battle on the road against the Dallas Cowboys.
While reliable on gamedays, Montgomery has also proven vital for the Lions locker room, as the team’s assistant head coach and running backs coach, Scottie Montgomery, detailed to Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News.
“He is the kind of guy that sets the tone for the day of practice and the way that he finishes,” Montgomery said. “You guys have seen out there, some of these runs that most people would stop running after 25. He’s going 50, 60, 70 yards.”
It’s a fantastic move by the Lions to lock up Montgomery, who’s thriving in Detroit after jumping from the division-rival Chicago Bears following the 2022 campaign. However, considering the presence of 2023 first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs, the extension looks even better, solidifying a solid one-two backfield punch that rivals any other in the NFL for the foreseeable future.