He might be the Lions' longest-tenured player, but Taylor Decker doesn't feel like it. Three seasons playing for Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes has made the veteran left tackle feel young again.
"The way they’ve gone about their business and then been men of conviction in it and stuck to their guns, and just telling them, it’s made me feel like a kid again playing football with all these guys," Decker said Monday as the Lions closed the book on one of the best seasons in franchise history. "Being able to have everybody like-minded and on the same page, it’s just been fun and reinvigorating for me."
Decker endured a lot of losing over his first six seasons in Detroit, including his first under Campbell and Holmes when the Lions went 3-13-1. But that was the start of a new era. Campbell established a culture of competitiveness, Holmes added -- and kept -- players that matched it and the Lions emerged as one of the top teams in the NFL this season. They fell one win shy of the Super Bowl and look positioned to contend for years to come.
And Decker, who will enter a contract season in 2024 at the age of 31, plans to be a part of it.
"I think we can be as good as we want to be for as long as we want to be, as long as guys continue to do the things we did this year to put ourselves in position to succeed," he said. "Obviously a young team, I’m not necessarily one of those young guys, but I even told (offensive line coach) Hank (Fraley) today, 'I have a ton of good football left in me.' So that’s not a concern for me where it’s like, it’s next year or nothing."
Decker is coming off another strong season on the left edge of Detroit's elite offensive line. He remains one of the game's steadiest players at a position where steadiness comes at a premium. A lot of NFL teams would love to have a left tackle like Decker, who doesn't want to play for any team other than the Lions.
"This is where I want to be," he said. "I want to be here for my whole career because it’s a special group and there’s something to be said for being a part of something special, being somewhere you want to be, around people that you love."
The roster won't look exactly the same next season. Guard Jonah Jackson, who's spent the last four seasons playing next to Decker, could depart in free agency as the Lions budget for big-money extensions in the coming years for the likes of Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Alim McNeill and Penei Sewell. But as Decker said himself, "A lot of our core pieces are going to be here and we know that, and we’re fortunate to have talented but also selfless guys."
"And then ultimately I know that they’re going to do everything they can to add pieces and add competition to the roster and just be able to get better in any way we can," Decker said. "And I’m sure if you asked them this question, their message would be, we’re going to get the right guys, the right guys that fit in here. That something's they’ve done a great job of from day one. We got a taste (this season) and obviously we didn’t get the job done and that hurts, but we do have a foundation to build upon."
Indeed, Campbell said Monday that any players the Lions add this offseason must have "a certain mindset and a certain identity" that reflects that of "our core."
"We have to add more talent, more competition that thinks the same way that group of guys in that locker room does. And it’s non-negotiable if it’s not," he said. "There’s no level of talent that is worth bringing in (if) that doesn’t fit what we’re about in there."
To Decker, the identity the Lions are seeking under Campbell and Holmes, the one that's finally made the franchise successful, is "an old-school kind of player, guys that relish putting in the hours and the hard work to put yourself in a position to be successful when it comes to gameday."
"They want guys that represent what this city’s about," Decker said. "Those cliche things, blue collar, hard-working, resilient, but that’s not lip service. That’s what we are, and there’s something to be said for those intangibles. When you get 53 guys that are all in line with that, you can do something special. And hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg for us and we’ll have some high standards moving forward into the next few years."
Decker, who was drafted and extended by the prior regime, has become one of the better bargains at his position. His current deal pays him $15 million per year, which is 12th among left tackles. Laremy Tunsil of the Texans sets the market at $25 million per year. So long as he maintains his current level of play, Decker should earn himself another lucrative contract in Detroit.