While the Lions spent much of the offseason handing out lucrative, long-term pacts to their top players, one key member of the squad is still heading into the final year of his contract. Offensive tackle Taylor Decker is an impending free agent, and while it’s been relatively quiet on the extension front, there’s optimism the former first-round pick will continue to stick around Detroit.
[RELATED: Lions, LT Taylor Decker Discussing Extension
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According to Justin Rogers of The Detroit New s, Decker’s camp “seemed encouraged” by early extension talks. We heard back in April that the two sides had opened negotiations, but there haven’t been any developments over the past few months.
Rogers notes that GM Brad Holmes has “every intention” of keeping his core together, and that sentiment would surely include Decker. The 16th-overall pick in the 2016 draft has played under a number of regimes during his time in Detroit, starting all 112 of his appearances in eight seasons.
Pro Football Focus has always graded Decker as an above-average OT, but the veteran had his best showing in 2023. The 30-year-old graded ninth among 81 qualifying offensive tackles, and he continued a five-year stretch of ranking in the top-30 at his position.
Decker is heading into the final year of his second career contract. Following the completion of his rookie pact, Decker inked a five-year, $70MM extension with the Lions. The lineman has fallen out of the top-10 average annual values at his position (he now ranks 12th), and he’ll probably stick around his $15MM AAV on his next deal. Rogers suggests the two sides will eventually land on a two-year extension for the long-time offensive tackle. With Jared Goff , Amon-Ra St. Brown , and Penei Sewell having inked lucrative extensions this offseason, Detroit’s front office will have to get a bit creative as they manage their future cap sheets.