By Moses Joshua 
An iconic Lions lineman stands at a crossroads as age, injuries, and the salary cap force Detroit into a painful decision.
The Detroit Lions don’t want to say goodbye to Taylor Decker. But the math, the metrics, and the calendar are all beginning to point in the same uncomfortable direction.
After a season that exposed cracks in Detroit’s once-dominant offensive line, the franchise is preparing for the possibility that its longest-tenured blocker may be nearing the end of his time in Honolulu blue.
A Sudden Decline From Pro Bowl Form
Decker entered 2025 coming off a Pro Bowl year, still viewed as a steady blindside protector for Jared Goff. By December, that perception had changed.
ESPN analyst Aaron Schatz put it bluntly.
“The Lions will cut left tackle Taylor Decker if he does not retire,” Schatz predicted. “He will be 33 years old next season and has had issues with shoulder injuries. Through Week 17 in 2025, he fell to 43rd out of 70 ranked tackles in pass block win rate, and he ranks 61st in run block win rate.”
For a player scheduled to carry a $21.35 million cap hit in 2026 — and $24.1 million the year after — that kind of statistical slide is nearly impossible for a front office to ignore.
Why the Numbers Are Forcing Detroit’s Hand
Decker is in the middle of a three-year, $60 million extension that once looked team-friendly. It doesn’t anymore.
With the Lions projected to be roughly $5 million over the cap in 2026, keeping Decker on his current deal would mean sacrificing elsewhere. Releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would save Detroit $18.2 million in both 2026 and 2027, while spreading just over $3.1 million in dead money across the next three seasons.
That one move alone would flip the Lions from cap-strapped to suddenly flexible — erasing their current deficit and creating enough space to begin retooling the offensive line or reinforcing the pass rush next to Aidan Hutchinson.
A Chain Reaction Across the Roster
The potential savings don’t just affect the line. Detroit also has to decide what to do with edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad, who erupted for 11 sacks in 2025 at age 30 after never topping six in any previous season.
Spotrac pegs his market value at roughly $16.5 million over two years. Letting Decker go would effectively fund that entire contract while still leaving several million in breathing room.
It’s the kind of domino effect that forces difficult goodbyes — even when the player in question has been part of the franchise’s identity for a decade.
Decker’s Own Words Hint at What’s Coming
The veteran tackle hasn’t closed the door on returning, but he hasn’t committed either.
“Taylor Decker says he hasn’t made a decision on retirement and didn’t want to bring any attention to himself by speaking on his timeline during an emotional state,” ESPN’s Eric Woodyard reported on December 31.
If that game against Chicago was his finale, it was a fitting one — a gritty 19–16 win that completed a season sweep of the NFC North-champion Bears and sent Detroit into the offseason with a winning record.
The End of a Detroit Era?
Decker isn’t a Hall of Famer, but he’s been something nearly as rare in Detroit: a decade-long constant through rebuilds, coaching changes, and finally a resurgence. From the darkest years to the Dan Campbell revival, he’s been there for all of it.
Now, the Lions must decide whether loyalty outweighs leverage — or whether this offseason marks the quiet closing of one of the franchise’s longest chapters.