When Jahmyr Gibbs walks out into the stadiums next time, things won't be the same. His partner, David Montgomery, will not be there as the Lions have traded him. However, he had a last message for the team.

The RB sent out a message for the fans through the official podcast of Crunch Time Sports. He talked about how the fans supported him through thick and thin, and he was thankful for all of that.

As for the Detroit Lions team, he said: "I appreciate them for giving me an opportunity to showcase my ability on another height. I'm super appreciative of them, couldn't thank them enough. To the homies, my teammates, man, y'all know how we rock, man. Just because I'm going somewhere else, it don't change the love and the kind of respect I got for y'all boys, too, because day in, day out, I worked with y'all boys for three years, and I appreciate y'all for that."

The Detroit Lions signed David Montgomery back in 2023 when he was a free agent. His NFL journey began after the Chicago Bears drafted him in the 2019 NFL Draft. But coming to the Lions was a historic move for both the player and the franchise. How?

2023 was the season when the Lions won the NFC after 30 years. Montgomery had rushed for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns that season. He further showed appreciation to some people who taught him what it means to be a citizen of Detroit. David Montgomery concluded with:

"Resilience, hope, love, organic relationships, authentic emotions, authentic—I can't even fathom the words to show how much I appreciate y'all. When I come back, it's always up, and it's always going to be respect. Love from me to you. DMO out."

He has had 562 carries for 2,506 yards and has scored 33 touchdowns in 45 games for the Lions in his career. Unforeuntley we won't see more for now.

On March 2nd, 2026, the Detroit Lions traded Montgomery to the Houston Texans for a 2026 fourth-round draft pick, a 2027 seventh-round draft pick, and OL Juice Scruggs.

The former Lions RB also posted an emotional message where Jared Goff commented, "The greatest" while Amon-Ra St. Brown couldn't help but comment, "Brother" with a red heart emoji. But they are not the only ones that have been hit hard by Montgomery's future.

Jahmyr Gibbs Was Emotional Too To See David Montgomery Go

On his Instagram story, Gibbs shared a picture of the Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles characters walking in opposite directions with a broken‑heart emoji. The two had been widely known by those “Sonic and Knuckles” nicknames during their time playing together in Detroit.

Gibbs and Montgomery became the first backfield duo in NFL history to each score a rushing touchdown in the same game 15 times. That is the most by any running back pair in the Super Bowl era.

Earlier in their partnership, they tied a Detroit Lions team record from 1936 by both running for at least two rushing TDs in a single game.

That's an achievement not seen in nearly a century. Even when there were speculations of David Montgomery leaving the Lions, Gibbed backed him.

He told the Detroit Free Press, “Of course, I want David back. The whole team would want David back, but it’s ultimately up to him. He’s going to do what’s best for him and his family, and whatever he decides to do, I’m going to support 100%. But of course we want him back, though." But things didn't turn out how he wanted them to be.

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Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu