Our 2024 Detroit Lions roster preview series continues with the most tenured Lions player on the roster. It’s every NFL team’s dream to draft a left tackle and have that player hold down the position for a decade. While we’re not quite there yet, it’s been eight years since the Lions drafted Taylor Decker, and he remains their starter today.
But Decker is entering a contract year, and Detroit may be preparing for the future at his position. Will 2024 be Decker’s last year in Detroit? Is he still playing at a level worth paying a 30-year-old offensive linemen?
Let’s take a closer look.
Previous previews: WR Kalif Raymond, DT DJ Reader
Taylor Decker
Expectations heading into 2023
Decker has been one of the most steady players on the Lions roster for the past eight years, so expectations heading into 2023 are the same as they’ve ever been. He was expected to be, at worst, an above average offensive tackle who has traditionally been a trusted pass protector and decent run blocker.
Admittedly, 2022 wasn’t Decker’s best season. His 74.4 PFF grade was his lowest since 2018. So, like seemingly every offseason, there was talk about moving on from Decker and having Penei Sewell take over at left tackle. However, with no clear third option at tackle, Decker’s job was never actually in jeopardy.
Actual role in 2023
Note: Stats are regular season only unless otherwise stated
15 games (15 starts)
PFF grade: 77.3 (16th among 85 qualifying OTs — minimum 275 snaps)
PFF pass blocking grade: 80.0 (11th of 85)
PFF run blocking grade: 67.2 (33rd of 85)
POD pass catching grade on plays that should have counted: 100.0
It was another very strong season for Decker in 2023. Even though he allowed a career-high 8.0 sacks and his second-most pressures (44) during his regular season and postseason games per PFF, he still graded out as a top-20 tackle in the league. Some of his baselines stats were ruined by an uncharacteristically bad game against the Chicago Bears in which Decker allowed four sacks.
When the games mattered the most—from Week 15 through the playoffs—Decker allowed just a single sack. In fact, over that same time period, Decker posted an overall PFF grade of 87.8—second only to All Pro Trent Williams (minimum 85 snaps).
What is perhaps most impressive of Decker’s 2023 season is his run blocking. In that late stretch, his run blocking grade was 82.5, good for fifth. For the season plus playoffs, he produced his highest run blocking grade (73.9) since his rookie year.
Of course, you can’t overlook the leadership aspect of his game, either. While Sewell has taken on more of a vocal leadership role, Decker remains the prototype of a hard-working, team player who fights through all adversity. Don’t forget that Decker dealt with a brutal ankle injury in the season opener last year, and somehow managed to finish the game with it—then only missed two games.
“Taylor Decker, banged up, he deserved a hell of a lot of credit for being out there tonight and fighting his ass off and doing his thing,” quarterback Jared Goff said upon Decker’s return to the lineup. “He doesn’t get maybe the credit he deserves sometimes at left tackle for us, for what he’s done. Obviously, the other guys did their things too, but thinking about him and his battle, it was pretty impressive.”
In other words, Decker showed up most when the team needed him, and he’s still improving his game in Year 8 of his career.
Outlook for 2024
Decker is the unquestioned starter at left tackle for the Lions this year, but the question that remains is whether he keeps that status beyond 2024. He’s entering the final year of his second contract with Detroit, and he’s due to cost $19.1 million against the cap. His last extension was a four-year, $59.65 million contract.
So how much would a Decker extension cost? Let’s try to use some recent examples to project what that contract may look like. Decker is about to turn 30, so a comparable age-appropriate deal would be Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins, who signed a three-year, $60.5 million contract this offseason at age 30—averaging just over $20 million per year. However, Dawkins is a three-time Pro Bowler, while Decker has never been given those honors. If PFF is your thing, they’ve actually graded out somewhat similarly over the last few years (Decker’s average grade of 78.25 over the last four years is actually better than Dawkins’ 77.18), but Dawkins’ 10 sacks allowed over the last three years looks better than Deckers’ 14.
Regardless, I think something close or slightly smaller than Dawkins deal is probably what you’re looking at for Decker, and that’s not an easy decision to make. The Lions are already spending the sixth-most cap space on the offensive line in 2024, and Detroit just handed Penei Sewell a massive deal that will take huge cap hits starting in 2026.
Last year, the Lions proved they will move on from talented offensive linemen if the price isn’t right with Jonah Jackson. Additionally, the Lions have a couple of developmental projects at tackle in Colby Sorsdal and this year’s fourth-round pick, Giovanni Manu. Manu has specifically repped at left tackle during the spring, but he’s still green coming from Canadian college football, and he’s not expected to be ready until 2025 at the earliest.
That leaves the Lions in a tricky position with Decker. If they view Manu as their future starting left tackle, can they afford to give Decker another three years? That would stretch until the end of Manu’s rookie contract, giving the young player little chance to develop on the field. On the other hand, handing over the reins to Manu in 2025 carries a ton of risk for a player who is currently very raw.
Detroit could always wait it out and see how Manu develops behind the scenes in 2024, then make a decision on Decker. After all, the veteran left tackle has made his allegiance to the Lions very clear and would love to retire in Detroit.
“I definitely want to end my career here,” Decker told MLive back in February. “I would say ultimately, for me, this is where I want to be. Of course you want money, but for me, I like being here. I love being here. I was able to be a part of climbing out of the trenches of it, and it’s been fun the past year-and-a-half to see the flip side of it.”
Personally speaking, I think the least-risky route is the most prudent. Signing Decker to a three-year, $54 million deal makes a lot of sense. If you can build in some sort of reasonable out after two seasons, that makes even more sense to leave open the possibility of a changing of the guard.
Regardless, Decker is playing at a strong enough level that he deserves some sort of payday, whether it comes this offseason, next offseason, or with another team.
