The Lions have opened up a chunk of cap space. Detroit converted $6MM of Taylor Decker’s base salary into a signing bonus, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). The move opened up $4.5M in cap space.
The veteran offensive lineman now has a 2022 cap hit of $14.4M. His 2023 cap hit has been increased to $19.35M, and his 2024 cap hit jumped to $19.1M. Decker also has a void year on his contract for the 2025 campaign.
Decker, a 2016 first-round pick, has spent his entire career in Detroit. He inked a five-year, $70.35M extension with the Lions in 2020, locking him in through the 2024 season.
The 29-year-old was limited to only nine games in 2021 thanks to a finger injury that sidelined him for a few months. When he was on the field, he was still plenty productive, ranking 27th among 83 qualifying offensive tackles on Pro Football Focus’ ranking of the position. His pass-block grade ranked sixth at the position. Decker has never managed to crack PFF’s top-10 at the tackle position, but he’s consistently graded as an above-average starter throughout his career.
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