Vineland Native Isiah Pacheco Signs With Detroit Lions for 2026 Season

Isiah "Pop" Pacheco, the Vineland native who rose from a seventh-round draft pick to two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, agreed to a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions on March 10, bringing one of South Jersey's most celebrated football exports to a new NFL home.

The Lions moved on day two of free agency to sign Pacheco as a direct replacement for David Montgomery, who was traded to the Houston Texans earlier in the offseason. Pacheco, 27, will serve as a backup and rotational piece behind star running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Once the contract is officially executed, Detroit's backfield will include five running backs: Gibbs, Pacheco, Sione Vaki, Jacob Saylors and Jabari Small.

Financial terms of the deal were not announced. The dollar amount had not been disclosed as of the initial reporting, according to NFL Network reporter Aaron Wilson.

Pacheco's path from Vineland to this contract is a story of rapid ascent followed by a difficult detour. Drafted by Kansas City in the seventh round out of Rutgers in 2022, he took over as the Chiefs' primary back as a rookie and finished with 830 rushing yards and five touchdowns. His sophomore season was even stronger: 935 yards and seven touchdowns, along with a career-high 44 catches for 244 yards and two additional scores. He became the first running back in NFL history to win two Super Bowl titles within his first two years in the league, and was part of a Chiefs dynasty that reached three consecutive Super Bowls.

Then came the injury. Pacheco fractured his fibula in 2024, and last season he served as a backup to Kareem Hunt rather than the featured back he had been. The one-year deal in Detroit reflects both the opportunity and the uncertainty surrounding his return to a larger role.

The Detroit Free Press described Pacheco as "one of the most violent runners available in 2026 NFL free agency," a nod to the physical, downhill running style that made him a fan favorite in Kansas City. But Sharp Football's efficiency metrics tell a more complicated story: last season Pacheco ranked 46th out of 49 qualifying running backs in explosive run rate and did not record a single carry longer than 16 yards.

The NFC North will add a layer of personal storyline to Pacheco's 2026 season. Pacheco and Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai were teammates at Rutgers in 2021, where Pacheco led the team in rushing yards before Monangai took over the featured role. Both players were seventh-round picks, and both are now in the same division, meaning Pacheco and Monangai are scheduled to face each other twice next season for the first time as NFL opponents.

For Vineland, Pacheco's signing continues a story that began on the fields of Cumberland County and has reached two Super Bowl rings. Whether a full recovery from the 2024 fibula fracture and a change of scenery in Detroit can restore the form he showed in 2022 and 2023 will be one of the more closely watched subplots of the Lions' 2026 season.