Former Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker entered the offseason planning to play an 11th NFL season. With the 2026 preseason now underway, he is still waiting to find out where that season will be played.
Decker remains unsigned more than five months after his decade-long run in Detroit ended, an increasingly notable development for a former Pro Bowler who started 140 games for the Lions. ESPN still lists Decker at the top of its ranking of the best available free agents.
His prolonged stay on the market is especially striking considering where his value stood only two years ago. Decker signed a three-year, $60 million extension with Detroit in 2024, a deal that included $31.83 million guaranteed at signing, according to Spotrac.
Now, the former No. 16 overall pick is approaching the regular season without a team.
Taylor Decker’s Market Never Developed After Lions Split
Decker did not originally enter 2026 expecting to become a free agent.
After considering retirement following an injury-plagued 2025 campaign, Decker announced in February that he intended to return for another season. But his situation changed when Detroit approached him about altering his contract.
Decker subsequently requested his release after saying he and the Lions could not find “common ground.” NFL.com reported that he had been scheduled to make $18.2 million in 2026, including a $1.5 million roster bonus.
The Lions granted his request in March.
At the time, a veteran starting left tackle reaching the market figured to generate interest. Instead, Decker has watched the offseason turn into training camp and then preseason without signing.
There have been plenty of suggested destinations.
The Miami Dolphins surfaced as a possibility earlier in the offseason, while the Chicago Bears repeatedly have been connected to Decker because of his history with former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. More recently, other needy offensive lines have fueled additional speculation. But speculation has yet to produce a contract.
That suggests the question surrounding Decker has changed. It is no longer simply which team makes the most sense for him. It is why a proven left tackle remains available at all.
Decker’s 2025 Season May Explain Teams’ Hesitation
Decker’s résumé is difficult to dismiss.
He was Detroit’s first-round pick in 2016, immediately became its starting left tackle and eventually survived multiple coaching and front-office regimes while developing into one of the longest-tenured Lions. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection after the 2024 season.
But teams looking at Decker now also have to weigh what happened last season.
Decker battled injuries and appeared in 14 games in 2025. NFL.com noted that he surrendered 33 pressures, while ESPN recorded an 89.3% pass-block win rate, the second-lowest mark of his career.
He is also entering his age-32 season at a position where clubs must decide how much of a veteran’s previous production is likely to carry forward.
Those factors could help explain why the kind of multiyear payday Decker once commanded has not materialized. At this stage of the calendar, his best opportunity may instead come when an injury creates an urgent need for an experienced tackle.
Lions Have Already Moved on Without Decker
While Decker waits, Detroit has completed its transition without him.
The Lions used the No. 17 overall pick in April on Clemson tackle Blake Miller and shifted All-Pro Penei Sewell from right tackle to the left side. By mid-August, Detroit appeared to have settled on Sewell at left tackle and Miller at right tackle as two pieces of its new-look starting offensive line.
That makes a late reunion increasingly difficult to envision.
It also underscores just how dramatically Decker’s situation changed. He began the offseason preparing for another year protecting Jared Goff’s blind side in Detroit. The Lions instead invested a first-round pick in their next offensive tackle and moved their All-Pro cornerstone to Decker’s old position.
Decker, meanwhile, remains one of the most accomplished players still available.
With regular-season roster decisions approaching around the league, the next offensive line injury could finally change that. Until then, one of Detroit’s most durable starters of the past decade remains an unusually prominent name on the free-agent board.
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