It sounds like the Lions are smoothing things over with David Montgomery. Hiring an offensive coordinator known for pounding the ball likely helped.
Montgomery's future with the Lions was thrown into doubt when GM Brad Holmes said last month that the veteran running back "deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized" and that the Lions would have to consider moving him elsewhere after a season in which Montgomery's role was diminished in Detroit's offense. It painted the picture of a player who potentially wanted out.
Montgomery, who signed a two-year extension with the Lions last season that runs through 2027, saw career lows in carries and touches as Detroit leaned especially hard on Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery finished with the second most yards per carry (4.5) of his career but got fewer than 10 carries in nine games, far more than in his first two seasons with the Lions combined. Some weeks, he felt like an afterthought.
But Drew Petzing could change things. Hired last month as Detroit's new offensive coordinator after the firing of John Morton, who lasted just one year on the job and just eight games calling plays, Petzing oversaw an elite rushing offense during his time with the Cardinals. He could be a key to restoring the Lions' punishing ground game and perhaps to retaining Montgomery. (The key is fortifying the offensive line.)
Asked about Petzing at Super Bowl week in San Francisco, Montgomery told NBC Sports, "I talked to him briefly. It's pretty evident that he knows exactly what has to happen and he's prepared for the task at hand, so it will be good to see what he implements in our offense and how we can improve better than what we were last year."
That's not quite a promise to be back, but it also doesn't sound like a player who's angling to leave. If the Lions can ensure Montgomery that he'll be more involved next season -- and show him as much by investing in their offensive line and recommitting to the run game -- he'll have good reason to stick around with Petzing calling plays.
In fact, in another interview this week with NBC Sports, Montgomery said that Petzing "was very intentional on what message he was getting across" when they spoke: "He wanted to ensure me and let me know that he wants me to be a part of it. I'm excited to see what's next."
Montgomery also pushed back on the idea that the downside to being part of a dynamic rushing duo is that he has to deal with Gibbs stealing some of his carries: "I wouldn't say 'dealing with it,' and I wouldn't say 'stealing.' I would say, you're on a team where you get the luxury of having two guys like that."
"And I'm a competitor. Just like anyone else who is playing at a high level in a professional sport, everybody wants to play and everybody wants to be involved," Montgomery said. "But the good thing about this thing is, I'm an incredible teammate and I'll do whatever it is I need to do to ensure that my team is going in the right direction, but I also want to be a part of that."
Holmes said last month that the Lions would have "in-depth" discussions about Montgomery's role and "the plan for him going forward," and whether he'd be better suited playing "somewhere else."
"Just really appreciate everything that he has done for us, if it does end up going that way," said Holmes. "I hope it doesn't, because we love David Montgomery. He's a good football player. I wish we would've been able to get more utilization from him. I know Dan (Campbell) feels the same way.
"But those are conversations that we're going to have, because I've got a lot of respect for that player. He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized. I would love for it to be here, but if it can't be here, then you just have to see what you can work out the best for him."
With Petzing in the fold, maybe Montgomery and the Lions can work this out. When Montgomery was asked what led to Detroit's downturn this season from first to last in the NFC North, he deflected the question to Holmes and Campbell before adding, "But this I do know: I know that Coach Campbell and Brad work hard, so it won't be something that we're living in. It'll be corrected and we'll be right back where we were before this year."
"We're trying to go — we're going to the Super Bowl," he said.
