Taylor Decker suffered a lot of losses early in his career with the Detroit Lions, but the team intends to keep the experienced offensive lineman around to maybe experience some success, keeping him under contract until the 2027 season.
Decker signed a $60 million, three-year deal on Monday, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the terms were not disclosed. Jonathan Jones, CBS Sports’ lead NFL insider, confirmed that the agreement includes $31.83 million in guarantees.
Decker was picked by Detroit with the 16th overall pick in 2016 out of Ohio State, and he was in the final year of his contract when he signed the new deal.
“It’s not lost on me on the fact that a lot of guys don’t get to spend their whole career with one team, and hopefully that’s in the cards for me,” Decker, who will be thirty in August, told ESPN. “Based on the contract extension, that appears to be in the cards. I’m quite fortunate.
Decker has started 112 games in his career, including 15 during the 2023 regular season as the NFC North champion Lions advanced to the NFC title game. He has started at least 15 games in six seasons, but injuries limited him to nine in 2021 and eight in 2017.
Detroit’s offensive line is likely the team’s strongest point, and Decker leads the unit, which includes All-Pro lineman Penei Sewell and three-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow.
The Lions won nine games in Decker’s debut season and advanced to the playoffs. After matching the victory number the next season in 2017, during coach Jim Caldwell’s final season, Detroit lost 46 games over the next four years, including two seasons under Matt Patricia and Dan Campbell’s first season with the organization.
A late-season push in 2022 sparked a turnaround, and the Lions went a step further last season, matching a school record with 12 wins and winning two playoff games for the first time since 1957.
“I’m glad that the Lions continue to see the value I can add to this team, moving forward,” Decker informed the crowd. “I am excited to see it through. It will be nine years that I have been here. There have been highs and lows, but it appears like we are on an upward trend right now.”
