Isiah Pacheco, Lions Reportedly Agree to Contract After Montgomery Trade, Kenneth Walker Chiefs Deal

Running back Isiah Pacheco is reportedly leaving Kansas City after four years and two Super Bowls with the Chiefs.

Pacheco is signing with the Detroit Lions in free agency, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday.

He will now replace David Montgomery, who was traded by the Lions to the Houston Texans in exchange for offensive lineman Juice Scruggs and two late-round draft picks.

The Chiefs already have their top back for next season in former Seattle Seahawks star Kenneth Walker III, who is reportedly coming to Kansas City on a three-year, $43.05 million deal.

The Lions are still bringing back their top running back from last season in Jahmyr Gibbs, who racked up 1,223 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns across 17 regular-season starts.

Pacheco could potentially step in as a No. 2 option behind Gibbs if he is able to stay healthy after missing four games to an MCL sprain last season.

Although he received a career-low 9.1 carries per game as the Chiefs gave more touches to Kareem Hunt, Pacheco still had 118 attempts for 462 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Injuries have limited Pacheco throughout the last two seasons, and he has yet to record a single-season total of more than 500 rushing yards since coming just shy of the 1,000-yard mark in 14 games of the 2023 campaign.

When healthy earlier in his career, Pacheco played a key role in the Chiefs' run to back-to-back Super Bowl wins. He led the postseason with 313 rushing yards to help his team clinch a second consecutive championship win after the 2023 season.

The Lions will hope a healthier 2026 season, combined with the new pairing with Gibbs, can help Pacheco bounce back from his limited production over the last two seasons.

Pacheco's former team will meanwhile look for the arrival of Walker and the return of former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to help them bounce back from fielding one of the least effective rushing offenses in the NFL last season.