Lions tackle’ Taylor Decker signed 4 years contract with Bengals’IN $45 million.
Lions tackle' Taylor Decker signed 4 years contract with Bengals'IN $45 million.
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looking for a deal that could exceed $20 million. Detroit also has to figure out what to do at guard, where all three of its top players can hit free agency in March.
And then there’s the matter of Penei Sewell, a 23-year-old superstar who was just named first-team All-Pro and finished as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the league according to Pro Football Focus. He still has another year left on his deal, plus a club option that will eventually be picked up for 2025, but you have to figure a long-term deal will be in everyone’s interest before the start of that season.
With that kind of money expected to be tied up at offensive tackle, plus Ragnow entering the second year of his market-setting contract at center, not to mention the uncertainty at guard, it remains unclear where Decker fits into the financial picture heading into the final year of his deal.
Asked how he’d feel about playing on a contract year next season, Decker said: “I don’t know. There are a lot of moving parts with all that stuff. I’ve been super fortunate to get a big second contract here. Would I love to have a third one? Of course. But ultimately, long term, I do want to be here, and however that pans out is to be determined. So, I mean, hopefully it’ll be a non-issue, and I’ll still be playing here at 35 years old. But so far, (talks have) just been really surface level. There’s a lot of moving parts, and I’m fine with that at this point.”
Decker said no serious contract talks have taken place, but he’s hopeful he’ll have a better idea of where his situation stands in the weeks ahead.
“It’s something that’s on my radar, and I’m sure it’s on their radar,” Decker said. “Maybe in a couple weeks, we’ll find out more.”
Either way, Decker wants it to be known: His desire is to remain in Detroit forever.
“Most players don’t get to spend their whole career with one franchise,” he said. “But that’s something that’s meaningful to me. I know I was a first-round pick, but in my mind, they took a chance on me, and I just want to keep delivering on that. I mean when you are somewhere for so long, and you see all the different teammates and coaches, you just become ingrained in the community. I don’t even want to have to think about playing somewhere else, because it’d just be weird.
“I’ve grown up here. Coming out of college, I never had, like, actual responsibilities. Now I do. I’ve seen some good, I’ve seen a lot of bad, and you just develop your perspective on things. Definitely over the last three or four years, I’ve felt a lot more comfortable to where it’s like, OK, I’ll speak my mind. When Patricia was here, he didn’t want that. But Dan (Campbell’s) much more, like, you can have your personality and you can have your opinions and stuff like that. That’s fine, as long as you’re not saying some crazy, made-up (expletive). I think that’s one thing that I appreciate about him. If you have an opinion on the game plan, and you give that opinion, it’s received, it’s not just listened to. I like that. I don’t want to go anywhere else.”