After the nail-biting overtime win against the New York Giants, head coach Dan Campbell summed things up bluntly: Jahmyr Gibbs “bailed [them] out.” And he wasn’t exaggerating. Gibbs delivered one of the most dominant showings of his young career, piling up 264 total yards and three touchdowns while carrying Detroit’s offense from start to finish. With that kind of production, Montgomery naturally faded into the background.

The once-celebrated “Sonic and Knuckles” pairing of Gibbs and Montgomery increasingly feels like a thing of the past. Detroit may be moving toward making Gibbs the unquestioned centerpiece of the backfield – and doing so as soon as this upcoming offseason might be in their best interest.

Detroit may need to re-evaluate Montgomery’s place if it means elevating Gibbs

Since 2023, the Gibbs-Montgomery duo has been a major reason the Lions offense has taken a leap. But performances like the one against New York highlight an emerging truth: Detroit is most explosive when Gibbs is the primary option.

The team’s own PR account on X made that clear after the Week 12 win, celebrating Gibbs for breaking multiple team records and even joining rare NFL company. It was no coincidence this happened on a day he handled a massive workload—15 carries plus a career-high 12 targets.

Montgomery, on the other hand, managed just 37 yards on eight touches in a game that should have been advantageous for him. The Giants entered the week allowing more yards per carry than any team in the league and the second-most rushing yards overall.

One quiet game doesn’t mean Montgomery is washed, but the financial side of the sport can’t be ignored. As Detroit’s roster becomes more expensive, cutting back where possible will matter. And Gibbs’ rapid ascension makes it harder to justify Montgomery’s current price tag.

Paying over $9 million per year for a back who’s clearly the No. 2 option is tough to defend. If the Lions choose to move on after the season with a post-June 1 cut, they could free up about $6 million in cap space while taking on only a modest dead-money charge of roughly $2.37 million.