Lions left tackle Taylor Decker makes his intentions absolutely clear

Lions left tackle Taylor Decker is now entering the final year of his contract, and he has made it abundantly clear where he wants to be in the future.

Over now eight seasons as a Detroit Lion, Taylor Decker has seen it all. He played in the playoffs as a rookie, then of course didn’t do so again until this season. He has been one of the most underrated left tackles in the league, still looking for his first career Pro Bowl selection.

Now that it’s the offseason, contract extension talk around the Lions is centered around Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and possibly Penei Sewell.

But Decker, who is of course the longest-tenured Lion, is also entering the final year of his contract in 2024 as he completes the five-year, $59.65 million deal he signed just before the 2020 season started. His $19.1 million cap hit for 2024 is currently the 10th-highest among left tackles (according to Spotrac).

Decker will turn 31 in August, but he seems to have plenty of good years left. So a multi-year deal to keep him around is unlikely to become an albatross for the Lions.

Contract talks between Decker and the Lions have apparently not yet gotten going. But speaking to Kyle Meinke of MLive recently, he made it clear where he wants to be as his career starts to wind down.

“I definitely want to end my career here,” Decker told MLive. “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.”

It’s no surprise Decker wants to be a “Lion for life”, and he’s the fourth offensive tackle to make at least 100 starts for the franchise (112 regular season starts). It’s fair to assume the feeling is mutual, though there’s a balance to strike regarding years, new money, guaranteed money, etc. to make a deal make sense for the team.

That being said, it would be a huge surprise if Decker does not get a new contract that keeps him a Lion for at least a few more years beyond next season.