The player that has invested the most blood, sweat and tears in Motown, and the longest-tenured on the Detroit Lions team will remain with the organization even longer.
Left tackle Taylor Decker has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Lions, according to his agent Jonathan Feinsod. The new deal is worth $60 million and includes $31.8 million in guaranteed money.
A first-round pick in the 2016 draft out of Ohio State University, the Lions understood how valuable Decker was and did not waste any time inserting him into the starting lineup at left tackle. While so much is different since that day, from the owner down to the general manager, head coach, quarterback, even down to the simple details like the carpet in the locker room, Decker remains the only constant left from that day he entered the arena, starting all 112 games that he has appeared in.
Now 30 years old, Decker is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He gave up just a single sack in the final nine games, and a goose egg during the playoff run to the NFC championship game where they lost to the Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers. As of late, has emerged as a team leader, and one of the voices of reason for this new iteration of Lions football.
With his contract set to expire after this season, Decker headed into the offseason hoping to get a new contract.
Embed from Getty Images“I definitely want to end my career here,” Decker told MLive 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. Whatever happens with the contract, I don’t know. There’s been nothing of substance with (negotiations) so far. But ultimately, do I want to be here forever? One-hundred percent. So, we’ll see.”
After taking care of Penei Sewell, Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown with astronomical extensions earlier in the offseason, the Lions have now secured the long-term future of another key to one of the league’s best offensive lines.
Lions’ general manager Brad Holmes announced the deal on 97.1 The Ticket’s “Costa & Jansen with Heather” show, during training camp practice at the Meijer Performance Center but did not provide details of the terms. He said they reached the agreement Sunday.
“He’s been a key cog of what we’ve been building, what we’ve doing. His leadership, his professionalism,” Holmes told 97.1 The Ticket. “He’s a guy that really embraced our culture, so he’s a big part of what we do, and it all starts up front with the offensive line, as we all know, so I’m just really, really happy that we were able to get that one done and happy for Deck and his family.”
