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Report: Two-time Super Bowl Champion RB Isiah Pacheco to sign with Detroit Lions

Danby: Daniel Hager03/10/26DanielHagerOn3

Two-time Super Bowl champion running back Isiah Pacheco is signing with the Detroit Lions, Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday afternoon.

Pacheco replaces veteran back David Montgomery (who was traded to the Houston Texans) alongside All-Pro running back Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit’s backfield. Across four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Pacheco rushed for 2,537 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Rutgers alum has played in just 23 of a possible 37 games across the past two seasons due to nagging injuries (including postseason).

A return to Kansas City for Pacheco became extremely evident on Monday, as the Chiefs made a massive free agency splash by signing Super Bowl LX MVP running back Kenneth Walker. Many expected Walker to depart Seattle for a massive payday, and Kansas City had been seen as one of the frontrunners. Pacheco had become unreliable for Andy Reid‘s team over the past two seasons, making the decision an easy one for the front office.

Isiah Pacheco joins Detroit Lions team coming off disappointing season

Pacheco’s new teammate in Detroit’s backfield, Jahmyr Gibbs, is coming off another phenomenal season for the Lions. Gibbs totaled 243 carries for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, earning his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod. The Lions backfield was heralded as one of the best in football with the duo of Gibbs and Montgomery headlining it, and it will remain that way with Pacheco sliding in.

Detroit is coming off a disappointing 2025 campaign, in which it missed the postseason for the first time in two seasons. After back-to-back NFC North titles, the Lions finished with a 9-8 record and placed fourth in the division behind the Chicago Bears (11-6), Green Bay Packers (9-7-1), and Minnesota Vikings (9-8).

“Not good enough. We didn’t get in(to the Playoffs),” head coach Dan Campbell said following the season. I mean, we underachieved. So, not good. I’m going to give myself a freaking F.

“I want to get back to some of the things we were doing a couple of years ago. And what I mean by that is just getting back to a little bit of what we did at the ground level, just a little bit of the way we train, the way we go about things. This is going to be a good training camp for us. We’re going to go back and really sharpen the sword a little bit. And I know that’s a ways off, but I think that’s the big thing.”