Texans Could Rework David Montgomery Contract Soon

The Houston Texans decided to make a notable shakeup to their backfield to start the new week in the form of trading for Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery.

In exchange for former second-round pick Juice Scruggs, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and a 2027 seventh-round pick, the Texans were able to get their hands on the veteran running back who can provide a notable spark in the backfield for next season and be a nice complement for their explosive second-year runner, Woody Marks.

And while the trade is still fresh and the dust is still settling, it looks like there could be further work to be done revolving around Montgomery's new fit in Houston— particularly when it comes to his current contract.

According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, while Montgomery's current contract is set to stay the same for now, it'll "likely" be something to be addressed at a further date.

New #Texans running back David Montgomery contract stays same for now, but likely to be addressed later at some point, after trade is officially finalized. Hearing he's very happy with the trade
Healthy, played every game last year and under contract for two years @KPRC2 https://t.co/qAit8Lys6A
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 2, 2026

Wilson also notes that Montgomery is reportedly very happy with the move to Houston, as he now joins the Texans after three years of being a tenured piece of the Lions' backfield, but should now see a bit of a bump in opportunity as a main piece of the Texans' rushing attack.

Texans to Rework David Montgomery's Contract?

Currently, Montgomery is signed to a two-year deal that locks him into the Texans backfield until the 2028 offseason. His cap hit this coming season will be worth an even $6 million, while his value in 2027 lies at a bit higher number of $9 million.

The deal offers a good bit of flexibility for the Texans, as it'll not only be a contract sitting at a lower value than what they may have pursued on the free agent market for another veteran like Kenneth Walker III or Travis Etienne, but also will incur zero dead money in the event Houston wanted to cut or trade him come next offseason.

In all likelihood, the Texans wouldn't do that unless next season went terribly wrong, considering they just gave up a steep price in the deal to initially acquire their new veteran runner. But a more probable outcome for Houston could very well be to restructure his deal and save a slight bit of cap space for this offseason.

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) walks off the field after practice during training camp at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Sunday, July 20, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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In the event the Texans did a simple restructure of Montgomery's contract, it would allow them to free up $2.7 million in cap space for this offseason. It may not look like a ton of money to come off the books, but every dollar that Houston can save to not only help maximize their roster heading into next season might be worth investigating from Nick Caserio and Co.

The Texans are already sitting above $5 million over the cap heading into the league new year, and will need to make a few moves around the edges of their roster to not only get under the cap before the new league year begins, but also free up enough money to potentially go after a few nice roster upgrades.

And while a few cuts and restructures around the roster outside of Montgomery should be able to accomplish just that, the Texans front office and Caserio love to prioritize flexibility however they can. If a restructure of their new running back's deal can do just that, it'll remain something to keep an eye on as the NFL offseason continues to progress.