Isiah Pacheco Signs One-Year Deal With Detroit Lions — Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Replaces David Montgomery Behind Jahmyr Gibbs
Isiah Pacheco is leaving Kansas City. The two-time Super Bowl champion running back signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions on Tuesday, March 10 — filling the RB2 vacancy left when Detroit traded David Montgomery to the Houston Texans. The Chiefs made the decision easy: they replaced Pacheco with Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III just hours earlier.
The Contract and the Context
Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, it is a one-year deal, with the dollar amount not yet disclosed. Pacheco is expected to play a complementary role for the Lions, replacing Montgomery as star running back Jahmyr Gibbs' backfield sidekick.
The Lions did not have the luxury of patience. Montgomery had been a Lion for three seasons but was traded to the Texans in exchange for two draft picks and interior offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. The moment that deal closed, Detroit needed a credible replacement. Pacheco was available, willing, and familiar with winning.
His path out of Kansas City was equally clear. Once the Chiefs agreed to terms with Walker, Pacheco's return to Kansas City became highly unlikely. He cleared the building quietly and landed in Detroit within 24 hours.
What the Lions Are Getting — and What They're Gambling On
At 5-foot-10 and 216 pounds, Pacheco is short but stocky — and seems to invite physical contact with opponents. That downhill, between-the-tackles style mirrors what Montgomery gave Detroit — the kind of runner who picks up fourth-and-ones and keeps opposing linebackers honest when Gibbs lines up in the backfield.
In his first two seasons with the Chiefs, Pacheco was a legitimate breakout candidate, averaging well over 4.0 yards per carry and leading Kansas City's backfield as a bruising workhorse. The regression since then is real and cannot be ignored. In 2025, Pacheco appeared in just 13 games — recording 118 carries for 462 rushing yards at 3.9 yards per carry, with one rushing and one receiving touchdown. Back-to-back seasons under 500 rushing yards and below 4.0 YPC is a pattern, not a blip.
His 2025 PFF grade was a 58.6 overall — including a troubling 35.6 receiving grade driven by four drops and inconsistency on 26 targets.
The Gibbs Factor: Why Detroit's System Could Revive Pacheco
Pacheco will be a candidate to rebound in Detroit, with opposing defenses primarily honing in on preventing Gibbs' big-play potential. That shadow effect was the same reason Montgomery thrived in Detroit for three seasons — defenses committed resources to stopping Gibbs and paid for it on short-yardage carries.
Pacheco's career yards-per-carry average of 4.4 actually exceeds Montgomery's 4.1, and his career catch rate is roughly two percentage points higher. The tools are not gone. The question is whether two injury-shortened, inefficient seasons represent decline or circumstance.
Detroit's Full Offseason Picture
The Lions are rebuilding around their returning core. Quarterback Jared Goff is back for his sixth season with the team, along with wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, tight end Sam LaPorta, and All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell — who may shift from right to left tackle after Taylor Decker's release.
Detroit invested early on the offensive line, agreeing to a three-year deal worth $25 million with center Cade Mays and a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Larry Borom. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing takes over playcalling duties from John Morton.
Gibbs is likely to command a new contract before the season begins that will put him at the top of the running back market — and should not set foot on the practice field until he gets one. Pacheco, on a one-year prove-it deal, arrives with a chip on his shoulder and two championship rings in his pocket.
