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Former Detroit Lions and former Chicago Bears David Montgomery have reached an agreement on a three-year deal worth $18 million, including $11 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
With Montgomery leaving, the Bears signed former Seattle Seahawks returning Travis Homer to a two-year deal worth $4.5 million maximum, according to his agent Spencer Cannold.
Montgomery, 25, joins the Lions’ running back who scored a league-leading 23 rushing touchdowns last season, including 17 from leading Jamal Williams and five from D’Andre Swift. Williams enters this unrestricted business as an unrestricted free agent while Swift remains under contract through 2023, the final year of his rookie deal.
In the loaded category of free agents running, Montgomery had the 10th most rushing (801) and was 5th most receiving (316) yards from these players. He created his highest yards per catch (9.3) in 2022 and scored his first touchdown since his sophomore season in Chicago.
Montgomery was drafted by former Bears general manager Ryan Pace with the 73rd overall pick in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. In four seasons with Chicago, Montgomery totaled 3,609 yards and 26 touchdowns along with 1,240 receiving yards and four TD receptions .
From 2019 to 2021, Montgomery led the Bears in rushing and gained a career-best 1,070 yards in 2020 when an injury to former Chicago team Tarik Cohen allowed Montgomery to emerge as the team’s top rushing forward.
Perhaps his most important attribute on the field is his ability to stay healthy while playing a position that is poorly linked with injury. In four seasons, Montgomery appeared in 60 games and missed only six due to injury. In 2022, the linebacker sustained ankle and knee injuries during the Week 3 win over Houston and missed only one game as a result.
At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Bears General Manager Ryan Poles commended Montgomery for his on-field contributions and leadership that helped seal the locker room during the 3-14 season.
A Seahawks sixth-round pick in 2019, Homer saw limited time on the court, totaling 453 yards and a touchdown on 83 passes across four seasons.
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin contributed to this report.
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