Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images.

There were many rumors surrounding Taylor Decker’s possible retirement following the final game of the season, and many believed he would be moving on from football. However, that was not the case. He announced via Instagram a few weeks ago that he would in fact be returning to the NFL for another season.

Then, it happened. Another out of the blue Instagram post from Decker, this time not so positive. He announced he requested his release from the Lions, and that they would honor it. This was a big hit for Lions fans, as he was one of the longest tenured Lions on last years team, and losing him opens up yet another glaring hole along the offensive line.

Obviously, losing your bookend left tackle for nothing is not ideal, but the Lions didn’t really have a choice in the matter, outside of overpaying Decker. They saw Decker as a good player, but who has injury issues. They wanted him to take a pay cut, considering he’s likely to miss a few games next year due to injury, but he declined.

The story is simple, Detroit asked Decker to take a pay cut, he refused, and both sides agreed it would be best for him to play elsewhere in 2026.

However, his release has not been made official yet, meaning he is still on the Lions roster, which is kind of odd considering the timing over everything. We are sitting just a few hours before legal tampering opens, and I’d assume both Decker and the Lions would prefer to have this figured out sooner than later. There are a couple reasons they could be waiting. One; Decker could be a post June 1 cut, which would make some sense as the Lions could save an extra $5 million, but wouldn’t let Decker hit the open market right away, nor would it give the Lions the cap relief they desperately need for free agency. Or, two; the Lions are working on a trade. I personally believe it’s the latter, and the Lions are working to trade him. It just makes sense, especially considering all the team who are in need of a starting left tackle.

Decker, 32, is a bit older, but if you can get anything out of the deal rather than cutting him, you do it. At this point, Brad needs to get extra capital wherever he can. I would expect some sort of day three pick compensation, but no more than that. Honestly, I wouldn’t think the Lions get more than a 6th round pick considering Decker is going to be released either way. The only reason a team would make a trade for him would be to ensure they snag a starter level left tackle without having to get into a bidding war.

Either way it goes, the Lions will need a new left tackle ahead of the 2026 season. Lets hope they can also get some capital out of this whole debacle.

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