Lions keep paying homegrown talent with solid Taylor Decker extension
By Mike Luciano
The Detroit Lions seem to believe they have something special on their hands this season, as they have spent most of the offseason giving the core leaders from their NFC Championship run new extensions that keep them in Honolulu blue for the next few years.
Right tackle Penei Sewell is fresh off signing a contract that made him the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL, while wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown turned his 119-catch season into a new deal that will pay him around $30 million per season. Next in line is left tackle Taylor Decker.
Jared Goff is going to be under center in Detroit after his spectacular 2023 campaign, meaning the top priority for Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes is ensuring that he has the best offensive line possible. Decker came alive last season, and the former Ohio State star was rewarded with a deal that puts him up there with some of the best tackles in the league.
Decker, in the last year of his contract, signed a three-year, $60 million extension that will keep him in Detroit until the 2027 season. Decker's new contract ranks just seventh in terms of average annual value among left tackles and fourth among tackles who are 30 and above.
A new deal in Detroit:: Lions left tackler Taylor Decker reached agreement on a three-year, $60 million extension, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 29, 2024
Decker was entering the last year of a deal scheduled to pay him $13.7 million. He is now under contract through 2027 season.
Deal was negotiated… pic.twitter.com/oLLNbyfLSG
Lions extend left tackle Taylor Decker with nice three-year contract
The 2016 first-round pick remains one of the more underrated players in the league. Despite never having made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, Decker is an above-average left tackle who is a lynchpin of arguably the best offensive line in the entire NFL.
Decker's Pro Football Focus numbers will back up any film affirming his status as a high-end tackle. Knowing that Goff is not the most mobile quarterback in the world, Holmes and the front office have wisely invested a ton of money into keeping their league-best line together.
With Decker at left tackle and Sewell on the other side, both tackle spots are locked in. Kevin Zeitler is a solid replacement for the departed Jonah Jackson, and both left guard Graham Glasgow and center Frank Ragnow will retain their starting roles in the 2024 campaign.
Rather than chase the newest shiny objects in free agency, the Lions are rewarding themselves by keeping their own draft picks in town. Given the inflating offensive tackle market, getting Decker for that price in his prime is a quality deal for player and team alike.
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