It appears Taylor Decker is returning for an 11th season with the Lions.
After pondering retirement this offseason, Detroit's longtime left tackle took to Instagram Tuesday and shared a photo of himself running onto Ford Field with the caption, "'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I; SEND ME!' #Year11"
Minutes after the news broke, Lions new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing sat down for his introduction to the Detroit media at the NFL combine and said, "As a coach, you’re going to want every good player you possibly can (have) in the building. He's certainly one of those guys, and excited to see that come across the ticker."
Decker, who turns 33 in August, played through shoulder and knee injuries last season. The shoulder was especially crippling. It needed surgery in the spring, cost him three games and required constant maintenance throughout the year, which forced him to sacrifice time with his family. He wasn't sure when the season ended if he was willing to go through that again to continue his career.
But after taking some time to think about it, Decker is running it back. His return ensures that the Lions will have a steady player at one of the game's most important positions for at least another season. Decker's contract runs through 2027, with cap hits of about $21 million this year and next.
It doesn't mean that the Lions won't look to draft a left tackle this spring as Decker's eventual successor or sign one for injury insurance. They don't have a clear candidate for either role on the roster. Dan Campbell said Tuesday at the combine prior to Decker's announcement that whether or not Decker is back next season, "we've still got to find a guy" who can reinforce the roster at left tackle.
"Because as much as I love Deck, he’s got some things that are going to need some management," Campbell said. "That’s kind of where we’re at. One way or another, we’re going to need somebody that can play over there and that can help us, if we need them in a crunch or if we need them as a starter. That’s important."