Updated March 6, 2026, 1:54 p.m. ET
The Detroit Lions will want a brand new left deal with in any case.
Taylor Decker, the crew’s longest-tenured participant, wrote in a social media put up Friday, March 6, on Instagram, that he has requested his release from the crew after 10 seasons.
Decker’s put up comes just a little over every week after he wrote he meant to return for an eleventh NFL season in 2026.
“Things change,” Decker wrote “145 games started, 3 playoff appearances, 2 division titles, a decade carrying the shield. I fully intended to do it once again, but my time as a Lion is coming to an end.
“In the weeks since notifying the crew of my return there have been quite a few discussions. Many of which have been a shock to me, and we couldn’t discover frequent floor. Therefore I made a decision to request my release.”
Decker first disclosed to the Free Press he was contemplating retirement for household and well being causes in December and mentioned after the season he may take a pair months to determine his future.
Last week, he posted an image on Instagram of him working out of the tunnel at Ford Field in a black Lions uniform, with the caption: “’Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I said, ‘Here am I; SEND ME!’ #Year11″
Asked about Decker’s future shortly before the post, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said, “Obviously Taylor, he’s earned the right to have as much space as he needs to reflect on a long season and we respect him, we give him that. But obviously with the start of the new league year coming, that’s obviously you want as much clarity as possible, so within these next couple of weeks we’ll make sure that we have that clarity.”
The Lions now enter the free-agent negotiating period next week with multiple needs on the offensive line, including at left tackle – though All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell could move to the position – and center.
Decker, who turns 33 in August, has been a fixture at left tackle for the Lions since they took him with their first-round pick, No. 16 overall, in the 2016 draft.
He’s started 140 games over the past 10 seasons but has dealt with a variety of injuries throughout his career. Last year, Decker missed three games with a shoulder injury and played the rest of the year through nagging pain that he said made it difficult to do everyday things like pick up his kids and grab a cup off a shelf.
“Ideally, I would play. I would continue to play,” Decker instructed the Free Press in December. “But I simply want to take a seat and consider, and … this isn’t a choice that I need to make now or type of take into account proper now, trigger it could be an emotional choice. ‘Cause like I mentioned, proper now, this has not been a enjoyable yr. But I do know if I take away these variables which have made it unfun, I nonetheless take pleasure in enjoying soccer. And I believe I’m enjoying rather well.”
The Lions at the moment have three different tackles on their roster for 2026, All-Pro proper deal with Penei Sewell and backups Gio Manu and Devin Cochran.
They are anticipated to be in the marketplace for assistance on the inside line in free company after struggling to switch Frank Ragnow after his retirement final yr and following the release of Graham Glasgow in a cost-cutting transfer this week.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
