Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown shares passionate reaction over David Montgomery trade to Texans

The Detroit Lions didn't wait until the start of the new league year on March 11 to come to an agreement with the Houston Texans for a trade that involves Detroit sending running back David Montgomery to Houston for offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, a 2026 fourth-round draft pick and a 2027 seventh-rounder. 

During the latest edition of the "St. Brown Podcast," Lions star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown made it known he's not thrilled that Montgomery won't be with the club next season. 

David Montgomery trade news left Amon-Ra St. Brown "sick"

"I'm sick," St. Brown explained, per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "Selfishly, I'm sick because I love D-Mo. One of my favorite teammates, no matter what the situation was. We knew that he wanted more carries and wanted to play more. He never made it about himself. He was always all about the team, which I know is hard sometimes, especially in his position."

ESPN stats show that Montgomery, 28, was second on the 2025 Lions with 158 carries, 716 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He also contributed 24 receptions for 192 yards. 

However, Detroit having Jahmyr Gibbs as its RB1 made Montgomery expendable. According to StatMuse, Gibbs ended this past regular season ranked fifth in the NFL with 1,839 total yards from scrimmage and second with 18 scrimmage touchdowns. 

"He's an RB1 on 31 other teams," St. Brown continued while speaking about Montgomery. "He's damn near RB1 for us, but it's like, you got two guys, two really good running backs, only one running back can play, which kind of sucks. It's kind of like a quarterback situation. Although running backs do rotate, only one running back plays. Whereas receiver, you can have two or three on the field."

Amon-Ra St. Brown is neverthless happy for David Montgomery 

As Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted, Montgomery will now share the Houston backfield with 2025 rookie Woody Marks. Marks led the Texans for this past regular season with 703 rushing yards and 196 carries. 

"Selfishly, I'm upset, but I'm also really happy for D-Mo because I know how much he wanted to have a bigger role on an offense, and I think he's going to get that in Houston," St. Brown added. "...I'm upset, but I'm happy for him. I love D-Mo."