Amon-Ra St. Brown Reacts Emotionally to David Montgomery Trade
Amon-Ra St. Brown Reacts Emotionally to David Montgomery Trade
Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown says he is “sick” about the team trading running back David Montgomery but believes his former teammate will thrive with the Houston Texans.
The Detroit Lions made one of the most surprising moves of the offseason when they traded veteran running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans.
While the move may make sense from a roster standpoint, it clearly hit hard inside the locker room, especially for star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
During the latest episode of his NFL podcast, St. Brown didn’t hide how he felt about the trade.
“You know I’m sick. Selfishly, I’m sick because I love DMo. One of my favorite teammates,” St. Brown said as quoted by Lions OnSI. “I feel like he was, no matter what the situation was, we all knew that he wanted more carries.”
St. Brown: Montgomery Deserved More Opportunities
Montgomery spent his time in Detroit sharing the backfield with explosive running back Jahmyr Gibbs, forming one of the NFL’s most productive backfield duos.
But according to St. Brown, Montgomery always handled the split with professionalism—even when he likely wanted a bigger role.
“He wanted to play more. He never made it about himself. He was all about the team, which I know is hard sometimes, especially in his position,” St. Brown explained. “He’s an RB1 on 31 other teams. He’s damn near RB1 for us. But it’s like you got two guys, two really good running backs, but only one running back can really play.”
St. Brown admitted that while he’s disappointed to see Montgomery go, he also understands why the move could be good for his former teammate.
“I’m upset, but I’m also really happy for DMo, because I know how much he wanted to have a bigger role on offense. I think he’s going to get that in Houston. I think he’s going to make a lot of noise.”
The Group Chat Reaction
St. Brown also revealed how he first learned about the trade—and it didn’t come from the news.
Montgomery personally texted his teammates before the announcement became public.
“No way,” St. Brown said about his initial reaction. “I texted him right away and said, ‘I love you bro, I’m excited for you, and I’m going to call you later.’”
He also described the reaction inside the Lions’ running backs group chat, which includes players like Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, Jermar Jefferson, and Sione Vaki.
“So, (Montgomery) texted the group chat, ‘It was a pleasure playing with you boys.’ And then we all just reacted and sent sad emojis and stuff. He let us know before everyone else even knew.”
A Big Opportunity in Houston
Montgomery now heads to Houston with a chance to take on a larger workload.
The Texans have been building a strong roster on both sides of the ball, and Montgomery’s physical running style could make him a major part of their offense moving forward.
As for Detroit, the Lions will now lean even more heavily on Gibbs in the backfield.
Still, based on St. Brown’s reaction, it’s clear that Montgomery’s departure leaves more than just a hole in the running back rotation—it leaves a big one in the locker room, too.
