Could Ty Montgomery's ill-fated decision to return a kick out of the end zone earn him a one-way ticket out of town?
The Green Bay Packers are reportedly making the fourth-year running back available ahead of the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline Tuesday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
Rapoport reported that Montgomery has been drawing interest from teams.
Montgomery has come under a ton of scrutiny in the past 48 hours after he reportedly defied orders from Packers coaches to take a knee in the end zone on the kickoff following the Los Angeles Rams' go-ahead field goal in Sunday's game. Montgomery took the ball out instead and fumbled it away, along with the game, infuriating his teammates and coaches.
At least one Packer told NFL Network's Michael Silver that Montgomery was throwing a tantrum before the play and returned the kick out of spite. "They took him out (the previous drive) for a play and he slammed his helmet and threw a fit," the player told Silver. "Then (before the kickoff) they told him to take a knee, and he ran it out anyway. You know what that was? That was him saying, 'I'm gonna do me.' It's a f------ joke."
Montgomery denied those claims Monday, saying, "I've never been a guy to completely disobey what I'm being told. I think you can ask a lot of guys in our locker room. That's not what I do. That's not the type of man I am. That's not the kind of person I am."
Neither a starting running back nor a starting receiver, Montgomery's status in Green Bay is naturally precarious. He is fourth on the team in rushing (105 yards), behind Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams and even Aaron Rodgers. Montgomery is sixth in receiving (170 yards) despite a slew of Packers injuries at the position. The 25-year-old's greatest value to the club is as a kick returner, funny enough.
Montgomery is in the final year of his rookie deal.
