The Detroit Lions took care of their own this offseason, extending core players like Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell with long-term deals. The trend continued Monday, with the Lions signing left tackle Taylor Decker to a three-year extension worth $60 million, including $31.83 million in guarantees according to CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones.
Decker, who was entering the final season of a previous five-year extension, will have a new per-year average of $20 million, making him one of the NFL's 10 highest-paid left tackles, per Over the Cap.
Originally a first-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2016, Decker is the longest-tenured player on the Lions, having racked up 112 starts during his NFL career. He's teamed up with Sewell and Frank Ragnow to give Detroit one of the league's most well-regarded offensive lines in recent seasons, taking 100% of the Lions' offensive snaps in 2022, then helping Goff and Co. reach the NFC championship in 2023.
Decker was outspoken about his belief in the Lions' continued ascent earlier this offseason.
"I know it's gonna be very hard, if not harder, than it was last year because people might do a little extra homework when they're playing us, but just knowing the character of our locker room, that's just what we, as a team, want to be about," he told ESPN. "And if you're not trying to compete for championships, much like me taking pride in what I do, it's like, 'What are we doing here?' This is all about winning."
