The Detroit Lions have their replacement for David Montgomery — two-time Super Bowl champion Isiah Pacheco.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday the Lions are signing Pacheco.
The full details of the contract — the amount of years — have yet to be disclosed. Pacheco will be able to officially sign the deal at 4 pm ET Wednesday when the new league year begins.
Until then, it’s a handshake agreement during the NFL’s legal tampering period.
But Pacheco is coming to Detroit after four years with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Pacheco started for Kansas City as a rookie when the team won the Super Bowl in 2022. He ran for a career-high 935 yards and seven touchdowns for Kansas City when the team repeated as champions during 2023.
Last season, Pacheco ran for 462 yards and a touchdown, averaging 3.9 yards per carry.
The Lions are signing Pacheco eight days after trading Montgomery to the Houston Texans. Montgomery ran for 716 yards on 158 carries with Detroit last season.
Pacheco will work as a complement to Lions starting running back Jahmyr Gibbs during the 2026 season.
Lions Signing RB Isiah Pacheco: Report
To fully grade the Pacheco signing, pundits and fans will have to wait until more details of his contract surface.
NFL insider Aaron Wilson reported the running back agreed to a 1-year contract. He didn’t have any financial terms.
Pelissero called the Pacheco contract on NFL Network a “potential bargain deal” but didn’t offer any specific terms.
Even still, within minutes of the signing, national and Lions analysts were already raving about the Pacheco addition.
“Can’t think of a runner much better suited for Dan Campbell than Isiah Pacheco, whose rugged style fits nicely with the Lions,” wrote NFL insider Jordan Schultz on X.
“Enjoy these Isiah Pacheco highlights,” wrote the Pride of Detroit X account.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper rated Pacheco his No. 137 overall free agent for 2026. He was also the analyst’s No. 12 running back of this year’s free agency.
“Pacheco is a feisty runner with a violent play style,” Popper wrote. “His best trait is how aggressively he takes on contact, but he is not a tackle-breaker or creator. He forced only 13 missed tackles on 139 rushing attempts.”
Popper projected Pacheco to be worth $10.5 million on a 2-year contract. If the former Chiefs running back is a true bargain and signing a 1-year deal, the deal is likely worth less than $5 million.
Lions to Pair Pacheco With Jahmyr Gibbs at Running Back
With Pacheco, the Lions will try and recreate the 1-2 running back punch that worked so well for them when they won back-to-back NFC titles in 2023 and 2024.
In 2023, Montgomery led Detroit with 1,015 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Gibbs, though, broke out with 1,261 yards from scrimmage.
During 2024, Gibbs took over as the team’s lead back, running for 1,412 yards and approaching nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage. But even in a smaller role, Montgomery remained very important. He ran for 775 yards and 12 touchdowns during 2024 when the team went 15-2.
The two running backs accounted for 2,747 yards from scrimmage during the 2025 campaign.
Gibbs is one of the top running backs in the league. Pacheco has a slim chance of taking away any of the 3-time Pro Bowler’s opportunities.
But Pacheco is a candidate to have close to 200 touches and a lot of goal-line chances if the Lions offense gets back to its 2024 production levels.
In his NFL career, Pacheco has averaged 4.4 yards per carry and scored 14 touchdowns.
Lions Signing Super Bowl Winning RB to Replace David Montgomery: Report