The Detroit Lions made a bold decision early in the offseason, but it may have been the right one. Their relationship with Taylor Decker reached a breaking point, and with no resolution or long-term deal in sight, they did right by him by granting him his release.
However, while they were able to move on almost right away by signing Larry Borom and then drafting Blake Miller, the football gods haven't been as kind to him since he entered the open market. OTAs are already underway, the Lions' offensive line looks solid, and he remains unsigned.
Clearly, Decker and his camp misread his market, and he might now have to wait until someone gets hurt to find a new deal. He's not likely to get a multi-year contract, let alone get more money than the $14.9 million base salary he would've made in Detroit. As for the Lions, they've already turned the page.
Lions didn't waste a second to replace Taylor Decker
The Lions already had a future first-ballot Hall of Famer at right tackle. In the modern day, both tackles need to handle star pass rushers, so all should be able to move from one side of the line to the other. That'll be a challenge for Penei Sewell, but if someone can ace it, it's most definitely him.
Of course, Decker's departure still left a big void at tackle, but the Lions may have taken one of the most underrated prospects to address that issue. Blake Miller didn't draw the rave reviews that made Spencer Fano or Francis Mauigoa top-10 picks, but he might as well be the most athletic OT entering the league this season.
The Lions didn't have a rookie minicamp, so OTAs are giving them the first opportunity to take a look at their first-round rookie and see how far along he is in his development. As such, they don't have time to dwell on the past or even wonder how life would've been with Decker.
Decker was a solid, slightly above-average offensive tackle, and not much more than that. He made the Pro Bowl in 2024, and that's his only career accolade despite being a former first-round pick with a decade of experience.
Of course, this is not to say that he can't play or that the team is better off without him right now, but they're certainly trending in that direction. And with a projected market value of $21.3 million a year, it's been pretty clear that someone made a mistake when he asked for his release, and it wasn't the Lions for allowing him to walk away.
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