The Chicago Bears went from worst to first last season, claiming their first NFC North championship since the 2018 season. With the Bears vaulting back into relevancy, some of their divisional rivalries have been awakened, including one with the Detroit Lions.
With Ben Johnson on the sideline, there’s a strong connection for both teams. However, the rivalry also has a connection with Lions running back David Montgomery, who landed in Detroit after leaving the Bears in free agency following the 2022 season.
Bears fans have lamented Montgomery’s departure as a mishandling by the team’s front office. But it appears he could be in for a new chapter in his career. With the Lions looking to load up their roster toward the end of a championship window, Montgomery’s time in The Motor City could be running out as free agency approaches.
Lions’ Cap Situation Could Force Tough Call on Ex-Bear David Montgomery
Montgomery is currently on thin ice in Detroit as the team prepares to bolster its roster for the upcoming season. After signing a three-year, $18 million contract with the Lions in the spring of 2023, the Lions were proactive in keeping him around, agreeing to a two-year, $18.25 million extension in October of 2024.
The extension was made based on Montgomery’s production as he ran for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns while also taking into consideration his leadership role in the locker room. While Montgomery was a top 10 back in many standards in 2024 with 775 yards and 12 touchdowns, things went downhill last season as he had 716 yards and eight touchdowns.
Montgomery’s 2025 performance is where the problems begin. While he wasn’t bad for the Lions, his $8.3 million cap hit was well above his $2.9 million valuation according to Over the Cap. Although he has an identical cap number for 2026, that number jumps to $10.2 million in 2027, which creates more issues for the Lions.
Reducing Montgomery’s immediate cap number could help the Lions upgrade their offensive and defensive lines while adding a role player in free agency. But the long-term number is important as the Lions must sign fellow running back Jahmyr Gibbs to an extension.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano recently speculated that Gibbs could got something in the neighborhood of Saquon Barkley’s annual average value of $20.6 million and a total contract could be in the range of four years and $80 million. Spotrac also hinted that this extension won’t be cheap, with a projected market value of $20.2 million.
With Detroit sitting $9.6 million over the salary cap, the Lions will have to move some money around. Restructures for Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and other stars are on the table and it appears that Montgomery could be next based on Gibbs’s comments earlier this month.
“Of course I want David [Montgomery] back,” Gibbs said via Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press. “The whole team would want David back. But it’s ultimately up to him.”
Accepting a pay cut is a tough thing for any player to do. But it’s looking more likely his future in Detroit will require some type of move this offseason. While the Bears’ rushing attack is in good hands with Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift, Montgomery’s future is an interesting subplot in the rivalry with the Lions, and it could see him continue his career somewhere else as soon as 2026.