Not everyone was happy with the departure of “Knuckles” from the Honolulu Blues, but it was meant to happen based on the recent statements by the former Lions running back.

While speaking on the Deebo & Joe podcast in collaboration with Nightcap, the former Lions’ star talked about the harsh reality in the NFL, admitting that teams eventually move on from aging veterans in favor of younger talent, a reality he believes played a role in his exit from Detroit.

“But you know, like when you start to you get a little older playing the game and like at a professional level and you start to kind of see how things unfold,” David Montgomery said. “You got to, you got to meet get met with like a tough decision, and you know I was met with that, and it was it was inevitable that it was happening.”

He accepted the fact that the NFL is more than just relationships, skills, and value in the game. He understands it also has a business side.

Per Montgomery, his trade was a tough decision for everyone, but it was part of the business side of the NFL and had to be done.

Montgomery was in his fourth season with the Detroit Lions before he was traded to the Houston Texans on March 2, 2026.

In return, the Lions received offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and a 2027 seventh-round pick.

"But I'm always going to have love for Detroit,” he said. “That's always going to be home for me, and I'm always going to love that city. But I'm in Houston now."

Even after getting traded to the Texans, he has nothing but respect for the Lions, especially for his other half, Jahmyr Gibbs, aka “Sonic”.

Jahmyr Gibbs still feels like family to David Montgomery

While continuing his appearance on the Deebo & Joe podcast, the former Detroit Lions star David Montgomery talked about his feelings for Jahmyr Gibbs, calling him out as his little brother.

“I mean, me and Jahmyr were doing stuff together that was amazing,” he said. “Like, we will go down, this, I don't care what nobody says, I think we were the best running back duo to kind of do it together.”

Montgomery made it clear that he never viewed Gibbs as competition, on the contrary, that everyone in the NFL believes that. 

Instead, he always saw a partnership between them built on trust, complementary skill sets, and a shared goal of helping the Lions win games.

“They always try to make it against me versus job, but like people don't understand like that's my little brother,” David Montgomery said. “When he came in, it was about me ensuring that I was able to get the most out of him. He can help me improve too so that we can do the special thing we were able to do.”

Post-Gibbs draft, Montgomery has always been like a big brother to him in the locker room. The duo has 557 carries for 2,15 yards and has scored 41 touchdowns in 43 games, per Stat Muse.

The Lions’ star cherishes his time in Detroit, but now he is in Houston Texans locked in on the 2026 NFL season.

Read more at the Detroit Lions Community!

Written by

Kunwar Yashaswee Chhaunker